


Running in Circles

by baeconandeggs, lightsketch



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Abuse, Action, Age Swap, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Stranger Things Fusion, Crime, Fantasy, Gun Usage, Hallucinations, Illusions, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Mind Control, Minor Character Death(s), Monsters, Murder, Mystery, Romance, Self-Harm, Swearing, Violence, baekhyun can change how he'll be seen by others, character harm, disgusting characters, mentions of drug, mentions of mental illnesses or psychological terms, past members included and the rest of exo, slight angst, some rv members are also mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 08:36:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 102,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14745506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightsketch/pseuds/lightsketch
Summary: Deputy Chief Park Chanyeol has been looking for his sister for 10 years, and yet there are still no clues as to where she is. His life turns too much of a mystery when he meets a man who had a 004 tattooed on his wrist, acting a little bit too strange for a normal person. Chanyeol thinks he's more than what he thinks he is, and that maybe... he's the one that would lead him to his sister.





	1. Insane with a Name

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt #:** BAE368  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
>  **Author's Note:** Most/some scenes are exactly patterned with the actual Stranger Things, so if you've watched it, there's a possibility that you'll see similarities. if you haven't watched it, worry not! you do not have to watch it to understand much of it. i'm sorry, i tried making it as interesting as possible but i think it only came out boring. also, another sorry! i used some of my knowledge about the characters and it may or may not be accurate (i tried :((). oh well. to my prompter, i know this isn't what you expected. still, i hope you'll like how i interpreted it! have some peanut butter!! to J, thanks for talking to me when i needed it the most  & also thank u for reading this mess haha lovv <3 to the C to my B, thanks for reading this and giving me the most entertaining and amusing reactions. you know how thankful I am for you ;) to the mods, thank you for being the nicest & the most accommodating. to whoever chooses to read this, i hope you'll enjoy and be able to see urself running with them. if you do, you deserve a peanut butter from 004 (if he'll gladly share it to you!) ;)

**_Unknown, 1982_**   

 _The cold wind hits his face as he runs along the empty streets of the city, the drops of water were blurring his vision. If it was a normal day, he would’ve put on his hood, along with an umbrella to avoid the water from hitting his face, but he doesn’t have the time to care about it as he turns to another street, breathing deeply, trying to catch for some air. He looks back and sees the same man with a hooded face, running after him on the dark, empty streets of the town, a smirk visible on his lips, sending shiver down to his spines. He continues to run, almost tripping along the way, and he hears the man laugh at him, and if it were a normal day, he would have stopped in embarrassment. But now, he doesn’t want to stop. He will not stop running. Not now. Not ever._   

 _He doesn’t know where he is anymore, and all that matters is to get out of this place before the man catches him, weaponless. He continues to run, breathless, and his mind goes haywire, thinking that it’s the last of him. He shakes his head, no. He has to see his mother; he has to spend time with her, give her food, give her the medicine she asked him to buy… he has to live, and if he has to fight for it, he would._   

 _He doesn’t want to stop, but he slows down when he doesn’t hear anyone following him, and his mind wills him to think that it’s all over now, that he’s safe. He turns to another corner, his back pressed against the wall as he breathes in, huffing, chest heaving up and down as he catches his breath after all the running he’s done._   

_He’s been running for a while, and he’s feeling too worn out, his legs are already giving up on him. He can feel his tears welling up, afraid of where this is taking him. His mother. He wants to talk to his mother, and tell her he loves her. He can’t leave now… not now… his mother is sick… not now… his family is depending on him. What will happen to them if he gives up?_

_From the distance, he can see a laboratory. It was vacant, dark, and quiet. He thinks he’ll be safe if he goes in there before the man catches up to him. He was just about to move when a chuckle startles him, making him retreat to his usual spot._   

 _He looks at the empty streets when he hears another movement. He thinks those were the light tapping of shoes—familiar. He peeks a little from his place and sees that it was the same man who was following him ever since he arrived from Ignis._ No, he can’t reach me. He shouldn’t see me. He can’t see me _. He hears the man chuckling, and it echoes in the quiet streets, terrifying him. The man was close, and he’s sure that one wrong move the man will see him. He closes his eyes, and a tear falls from his eyes._ This  _is the end for him._   

 _He hears another chuckle and he shivers at how close it is from him. Is he already beside him? It can’t be._   

 _“Come out, come out, wherever you are…” the man says lowly, and all he can do was close his eyes as tight as possible, his fists balled, shaking with fear. “Come out… come out… wherever you are…” the man says again, this time slower than before, but louder as if the voice was just beside him._   

 _“Out, out, out, honey. I won’t hurt you, so come here. Come here, come here, come here.” The man chants, but he’s smart enough to not believe this. He’s goddamn_ sure  _this man’s crazy, and he’s going to do everything just to not have him on his tail. He wants to battle with him, punch him until he doesn’t see light anymore, but he won’t. It’s too risky for a 15 year old boy to fight a too skilled and armed man. Running was not an option now, because it would only kill him, knowing that the man was just around his area._   

 _“Open your eyes. I’m near you. I’m going to_ get  _you.” he hears the man say. He doesn’t open his eyes, disobeying the man’s request. He hears him chuckle, and he swears he’s just beside him. “Come on, now… I won’t do anything if you open your eyes. I’ll let you go, and then you can go back to your mommy.” he says calmly, soothing his nerves, lulling him to a peaceful sensation. This shouldn’t be how he reacts._   

 _Why? What is happening?_   

 _“Open now.” The man orders, and he obeys unknowingly, controlled by the voice whispering to his ears. He can’t stop himself. He’s too powerless, and the only thing that’s making him move is the guy’s orders to him… this can’t be happening._   

 _He opens his eyes and the first thing he sees are the eyes of the same man following him, red and fiery, burning with desire and hunger. It was dark, but somehow he could see the man in front of him clearly and he can’t see its face clearly but he can make out its bruised, cracked face, open and throbbing with flesh. There was blood dripping from the side of his mouth, visible even under his smirk. The side of his face is covered with maggots, and it’s disgusting, even more so when up close. He’s terrified, but he can’t do anything to release himself from the man’s grasp._   

 _The man smirks as he sees the young boy’s wide eyes, blank, and his mouth gaping, waiting for another order from him. He places his hands on the side of his cheeks, “Well, well, young boy. Looks like I got you.” he says, and the boy just meekly nods at him, unable to say anything under his grasp._   

 _The boy’s mind was blank, and he’s got no control of his actions, letting the man throw him into the streets. He can’t say anything. He can’t do anything to protect himself. He can’t do anything as the man in front of him breathes into his mouth, then inhales and eats his soul, ravishing every bit of it, hungry and desperate for food. He can’t do anything. It was beyond his control, and he can’t see another way out._   

 _Suddenly, a loud siren blares into the streets, startling the man on top of him, hissing when light comes into their way. Not a second after it, the man’s gone, leaving him alone, almost soulless, and lost. What was replaced by the man’s grip was another man, holding onto him with a flashlight on his hand, his whole body covered with a suit, saving him from the rotten smell the place is holding._   

 _He wants to gasp and scream for help as the man carries him, and another man appears in the same outfit, hand carrying something new to his eyes, yet he knows it’s not something harmless. He moves, trying to make the man carrying him release him, but the man only stands firm, holding him tightly, waiting for something. And that’s when he sees it. He can’t save himself from the man who’s injected something in him, further making him as paralyzed as he can be. There’s nothing else he can do._   

 _Nothing._   

 ••—•

 

 **CHAPTER ONE: Insane with a Name**   

 

 ** _Hawkins, 1992_**   

The City of Hawkins, also known as the saintlike city and the home of the peculiar, has been as strong as ever since their ancestors have lived. It’s the second most wanted city, next to Ignis, which is far too industrialized compared to Hawkins. Buildings were limited, and the highlight of the place was its calm environment, giving peace to anyone who stays in it. It’s far too calm, too good, and no sign of bad omen from the past ten years, and it’s beginning to get dull. There’s nothing much to do for the townsfolk, and practically anyone who has a job that involves the city’s well-being would agree to such.  

And Chanyeol is not an exception to that. To him, being part of the city’s police department is beginning to get  _too_ boring.   

It wasn’t the fact that he hated his job. No, actually, he  _loved_ his job to the core, and it has been a dream of his to protect his city. Ever since he was a kid, he had dreamed of fighting crimes, solving cases as such, but right now, being the Deputy Chief of Hawkins’ Police Department is like a walk in the park. Too easy, too boring, almost soulless, and stuck in a too good, saint-like city. Nothing much is happening and he’s almost tempted to make someone do a crime just to spice things up, but that’s really wrong in law, so he’s not making any risks at that.  

If only he was already an officer in 1982, he would’ve had a story to tell to his grandchildren.  

1982 was the worst and the strangest year for the Hawkins policemen. After 10 years, another set of kids have gone missing. Kids aged 13-18 were suddenly gone, out of their parents’ vicinity, and no single witness on what happened and where they went. It wasn’t a normal occurrence, and no one was able to solve the mystery up to this date. It was a cold case, that’s for sure. Lots of theories were made yet they don’t seem to match anything that may have happened during that time. It would’ve been better if there were sets of evidences, but to everyone’s dismay at that time, there weren’t. It was an impossible case, and everyone was sure  _no one_  can crack it. Even the parents who wallowed in their pain accepted the fact that their child will never return in their arms.  

Even his parents had gave up.  

Yes, Park Chanyeol’s family was a victim of the cold case. He was 17 at that time, and he woke up to his parents sobbing and saying incoherent things. All he understood was _sister_  and  _missing_. He asked them to calm down, and when they did, it’s like a hollow block was dropped on his head. His sister was missing. See, it would’ve been easy to find her if they were on their own street, but they were just there on the train station when suddenly, the lights went off, his sister getting separated, and when it got back, they looked back and saw that his sister, Yoora, was not with them. They searched for her everywhere, even trying to ask some help from the police guarding the station. They did everything — they filed a report, looked for her in every nook of the city, even writing some  _MISSING_  papers, but alas, they never found her. One day, her mother just went home, convinced them that they will never find his sister and accepted the fact that she’s gone to wherever the wind had taken her.   

Chanyeol knows better, though.  

He knows that his sister will not just disappear like that. It’s so out of character of her to just run away from their parents without even giving a proper notice. His sister was the finest woman out there, and she’ll definitely not rebel against their parents. He’s sure there’s more to what happened, and he’s not letting anything stop him from figuring out the case.  

And that’s how he ended up being part of the Hawkins’ Police Department.  

He worked hard for the position that he has, and he’s not going to stop looking for answers when he has the chance to. Even the tiniest evidence given, he’ll do his best just to find what he’s looking for. Even after 10 years of disappearance, he’s determined to solve the case.  

The other policemen would’ve given up on it by now, leaving the files in a drawer along with other unsolved cases, dust covering each folder of missing children, but Chanyeol’s not going to stop dwelling on it until he gets an answer. Dead or alive, he’s willing to know and solve the case. This hidden agenda of his has been going on in his head, especially on days when there’s no other case to solve rather than the local supermarket seller’s endless complaints of how their flowers have suddenly gone missing, not acknowledging the fact that somebody actually bought the whole garden of it.   

Park Chanyeol, 27 years old, has worked hard to reach where he is. Clumsy, he is, but he’s clever, and it makes him fit for the position of Deputy Chief, much to other people’s dismay. He doesn’t care though. It was presented to him, and he’s just there to accept it.  

“Mornin’, Chanyeol.” Officer Kim Jongdae says and sips his usual morning coffee. “Has anyone filed anything today? Besides local seller Yixing?”  

“None today.” Chanyeol says, “Yixing hasn’t gone here too. It’s still too early for him to file something.” he adds. The man usually comes at around 4-5 pm, the end of work hours. Always on the clock.  

“That’s too bad. Just when I thought things are now going well in this department. Now, we’re down in the slumps again.” Jongdae said, to which Chanyeol nods to. “This city is too good. How is it that no one commits a crime?”  

“Tell me about it.” Chanyeol replies and rolls his eyes. Jongdae just laughs at it and opens his drawer to review some files, “Where’s Chief?”  

“Don’t know. Probably smoking again. You know how he is.” Jongdae says, and shrugs. “It’s still too early for him to come to work, anyway. What else is new?”  

Chanyeol looks at the Chief’s door, and it stays locked without its occupant. It was weird how the Chief never stays too early or too late in his office. He would’ve complained about how the Police Chief is slacking off, but Chanyeol knows all too well that he is anything but. He has a mad respect to the man who’s been the Chief for the last 10 years. He was present on the most controversial year of the police department, but he’s been on the ground for as long as he has known and he knows his ways in the city. If anyone else besides his parents gets Chanyeol’s full respect, it would be Chief Kim.   

“Nothing, I guess.” Chanyeol answers, and Jongdae just shrugs at him, and reaches for a newspaper. It would’ve been nothing, except for the fact that today’s headline catches his attention. “Hey, Jongdae, what’s that on the headline?”  

Jongdae furrows his brows in confusion and flips his newspaper to where the headline is. He rolls his eyes and returns to the page he’s been reading before answering Chanyeol, “It’s bullshit. Madman Heechul’s on it again.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“He’s having conspiracy theories about the Hawkins National Laboratory again,” he says boringly, “I guess this time he has enough money to land himself the front page. I say it’s bullshit, though. Let the smart people do their work.” he adds and snorts. Chanyeol rolls his eyes and grabs the paper from him, earning himself a scowl from the officer. He doesn’t budge and proceeds to read it.  

 ** _HAWKINS NATIONAL LABORATORY: THE LAST HOPE OR THE ENDER OF THE WORLD?_**   

 _Article by Kim Heechul_   

 _Hawkins National Laboratory, the one building that has been on the grounds of the City of Hawkins from the year of 60s. It has been there in every progress the town has made, with or without the rising technology being invented from the laboratory itself. Its advances are known by the people, and monitored by every civil present in the current government. The city knows its plans, but do they know everything that the said laboratory has been on for the past years? Most definitely not._   

 ** _Project MC_** _, short for Project Mind Control, has been on the list of the Hawkins National Laboratory ever since the alleged missing cases from the 70s. Said project had been going on since the 70s, and had been a topic unconfirmed. After 10 years, the same missing cases have happened again but no one had been able to confirm such accusations by that time. In 1983, a child has been found and said to have harbored psychokinetic ability, confirming the issues that had been rising from the said laboratory. The Hawkins National Laboratory has taken a liking to its idea of mind controlling since it is beneficial for their future experiments, and most probably, their plans to conquer the world._   

 _A recent interviewee, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has come to spill its details, “It uses kids as human experiments.” he said and, “It’s ultimately harmful to the human subjects chosen by the workers from the laboratory itself.” he added. I have come to the idea that these ‘human subjects’ may or may not be related to the missing cases present and rampant in the year of 1982, which has never been solved and purposely kept in the dark for ‘security reasons’, the head of the Hawkins National Laboratory said. Even the Hawkins Police Officers did not try to give updates upon the whereabouts of the missing children, giving a weak response of, “It’s a cold case.”_   

 _The townsfolk see the goodness the Laboratory is bringing to the city. Their contributions have been visible to the naked eye, but their intentions are definitely hidden to the deepest tunnel the city will never find.  Will the city be safe in the hands of the people whom the city people think as more powerful than its mayor? Or will they be the ender of the world with its disastrous endeavors for the “betterment” of the suburb?_   

 _Article Dated: March 1992_   

“What does he mean by human subjects?” he asks to himself, but Jongdae hears it and he snorts.  

“You really believe that?” he asks, and rolls his eyes, “It means that the people in the laboratory use people as their experiments.” he explains and Chanyeol looks at him with confusion, “He’s just linking the case of 1982, saying that the human subjects were the kids who’ve gone missing from that year. Understand me?”  

Chanyeol nods, eyebrows furrowed, processing whatever he has read from Madman Heechul’s article. If it was true, then his sister might be in there too. However, it was still too vague to even consider acting upon it. He sighs and throws the newspaper to Jongdae’s face (who yelped from pain), and leans on his chair, placing his hands on the back of his head. “Do you think any of that is true?” he asks, his eyes looking at the ceiling as if the answers were just there.  

“Do I believe that the laboratory has plans that they don’t tell the city? Yes, I do. Do I believe that whatever it is that they have in mind would end the city? Most definitely not.” Jongdae says, fanning himself with the newspaper. “Like I said, it’s just pure bullshit. The city’s too boring, and someone had to do something to spice things up. Unfortunately, it was a failure.” he said, rolling his eyes, “If Madman Heechul writes something about any trending technology, I would be very interested to read it.”  

“That’s because it’s your other expertise.”  

“That’s the point.” Jongdae says, smirking, “Anyway, the hot weather reminds me of that time when Cowboy Jung arrived in the police station with his hair full of saliva just because his horse thought his hair was hay.” he narrates, and laughs at the memory, “Good times, Officer Park. Good times.”  

“Yeah, that probably was the wildest thing that happened while we’re in this position,” Chanyeol replies, and laughs.  

“That’s true.” he says and laughs, shaking his head. It’s a shame that the laughable things are the only cases they’ve managed to crack in their term. When was the last time they ever held such a big case? A long time ago, if someone asked him.   

Most people would say to be thankful that there’s no other problems that’s happening in the city. Lots of cities have too much problems to the point that they don’t even get to solve them. Well, no one can blame them. They look like jobless people looking for a place to stay into for the night, waiting for a miracle to happen.   

Not much really happens in this town. Or so they thought.  

 

 

 

Chanyeol was startled when someone enters the room, slamming the door with so much force. He ducked his head and covered it with his hands as he moves under his table. He can’t see who it was, but he can make out the footsteps. He was near. The alarms in Chanyeol’s head are ringing, urging him to do something.   

 _Has someone plotted a breakout?_  This would be the perfect breakthrough. He’ll finally have something exciting to tell, and something to be proud of. All he should do is to catch the culprit, and viola! He’ll be a hero in this city.  

He braces himself, preparing himself to shoot the person who managed to get into the locked police station. His hand grips tightly onto his handgun, checking if it was loaded. Luckily, it has enough to protect himself. Chanyeol places his finger on the frame of his gun, stands up, and points his gun to the culprit. His hands were gripping tightly at the gun, waiting to shoot, “Stay where you are. Don’t move.”  

The shadow stays where he is, and chuckles, “Officer Park.”   

Chanyeol furrows his brows, confused, because he knows the owner of the voice. “Chief Kim?”  

“Precisely.” he answers and presses the light’s switch, turning it on. Chanyeol sees Chief Kim smiling at him, eyes glinting with amusement. Chanyeol lowers down his gun, and places it back on his duty belt. Chief Kim coughs, gaining his attention, “Why is it so dark in here?” he asks.  

“Sorry, Chief. It was late at night. I didn’t think anyone else would come.” he explains, disappointment evident in his voice. Chief Kim doesn’t notice the slip, and just nods in understanding, moving towards Jongdae’s organized desk.   

“Where are the others?” he asks, looking around at all the vacant desks.  

“They went outside, sir.” he answers truthfully, “Nothing much was happening so they thought it was fine to take a break for a while.”  

“Slacking off now, huh?” he says, laughing, “What are you doing here in the dark? Alone?”  

“I was…”  _planning on how I would be able to get the files,_  “I was guarding the station. That’s all.”  

“I see.” Chief Kim replies, nodding, “So much dedication for a young man. It’s rare to have those these days.”  

Chanyeol just nods in reply, relaxing at the peaceful atmosphere surrounding them. Chief Kim coughs again, and it takes him a few seconds before he regains his composure, “Chief, are you okay?”  

“Yes,” he replies, placing his hand on his back pocket, “Do you have a lighter? I want to smoke.”  

“Uh, yeah. I do.” he says and opens his drawer to look for his lighter. Thankfully, he didn’t have to look for a long time. “Here, sir.”  

“Thank you, Officer Park.” he says, reaching for the lighter. Chanyeol bows. “Wanna smoke?”  

“No, thank you.” Chanyeol says and sits on his chair after realizing how awkward it was to keep on standing while Chief Kim was looking around. He sees him limping and it has him wondering, “What happened today, sir?”  

“What?” Chief Kim asks distractedly, puffing out a smoke, “Not much. Just went to the laboratory, s’all.”  

“The laboratory?” Chanyeol clarifies, and coughs when Chief Kim faces him, exhaling directly on Chanyeol’s face.  

“Yeah,” he replies, “Chaos. Only chaos is happening there.”  

He remembers Madman Heechul’s thoughts regarding the Hawkins National Laboratory having some plans in ending their city, and it triggers Chanyeol’s curiosity, “Why so?”  

“A boy escaped.” he says absentmindedly, and proceeds on sucking the smoke in, inhaling. “Had to run to find him. Along with other more people from the laboratory.”  

 _A boy? If it’s a boy they’re trying to catch, then what Madman Heechul may be true_ , “Chief, if I may ask, what were you doing in the laboratory?”  

“Too many questions, Officer Park.” he says, shaking his head. He stubs out his cigarette on the wooden desk and moves towards his office. “Tell Officer Kim to get back to work, and I think you should take a break by then.”  

“Of course,” Chanyeol answers and bows. Chief Kim nods at him, and enters his office, leaving his door wide open.   

Just when Chanyeol was about to look for Jongdae, said man enters the station, his face covered with sweat. He wipes his face with his sleeves, huffing in annoyance, “Wild goose chase.”  

“What the hell happened to you?”  

“Wild goose chase,” he repeats and Chanyeol looks at him with pure confusion,  _“Literally.”_   

Chanyeol laughs at that, “Well, aren’t you lucky?” he says sarcastically, to which Jongdae rolls his eyes to.   

“What are you still doing here?”  

“Waiting for the people to come back,” he says, stands up and puts his pile of papers on the side, “Chief’s here.”  

Jongdae’s eyes widen at that and peeks at the Chief’s office, “Oh, shit.”  

“Hmm,” he hums, “Good luck explaining where you went. I think he’ll accept the reason you’ve been on a wild goose chase.”  

“Why shouldn’t he?” Jongdae mutters more to himself than to Chanyeol, “I mean, it’s the truth.”  

“If you say so.” Chanyeol answers, and chuckles at Jongdae’s fearful expression, “I’ll go now. I’ll be back in the morning.” he says, and Jongdae’s too preoccupied to even reply. Chanyeol fishes out his keys from his drawer, and shuts it loudly on purpose just to scare Jongdae.  

Jongdae glares at him, “Fuck. You startled me.”  

“Quit being so nervous and just tell him the truth,” Chanyeol says as a tip, and Jongdae nods, “Tell him you’ve been slacking off.” he whispers, and Jongdae whacks him with a paper, muttering a quiet  _son of a bitch_  in reply. Chanyeol just laughs and shakes his head, amused with Jongdae’s reactions.  

It doesn’t take him long to look for his car, and soon, he’s already starting its engine, ready to go home to his cabin. Just thinking about it calms Chanyeol down, and all he wants is a good night sleep after feeling restless despite not doing anything as productive as chasing a goose.   

He’s humming a song as he drives swiftly on the empty streets. Nights at Hawkins are still bright, warm, and calm. It’s peaceful, and anything that you’d want a place to have. In nights like this, Chanyeol thinks he’s lucky to be in a city as such.   

Soon enough, he arrives at his cabin, and he’s all ready to lie on his bed without anything or anyone bothering him. He opens the door of his car, and he was about to shut it close when he hears someone near him whimper.   

 _That’s weird,_  he thought as he looks around to look for anything that may have produced the sound,  _There’s no cat or dog here…_   

He was going to shrug it off, deeming that it was only something from his imagination, when he hears the same sound again, louder and near him. Chanyeol’s sure it isn’t something on his mind. He listens carefully to it, peering closely at the back of his car. His hand automatically holds onto his gun, gripping it tightly in case it was a person. The sound reappears, and he thinks it’s from inside his car. Clutching his gun, he opens the door of his car quietly.   

He was expecting the worst — probably it was an attacker with a deadly weapon with him or such, but what he doesn’t expect is a boy curled up on the seat of his car, sleeping uncomfortably in it, his naked thighs showing and Chanyeol almost screams out of fear (and surprise), but he stops himself because he can’t do that if he wants to catch the attacker. Chanyeol doesn’t let his guard down at the sight and instead, he uses his free hand to lightly tap on the head of the boy to wake him up and ask what his intentions are. However, his attempt did not do anything as the boy continues to sleep uncomfortably, whimpering and flinching in every second. He doesn’t know what to do. Should he bring him inside his house, and interrogate him once he wakes up, or should he force him to wake up and right then and there, he’ll ask questions? He doesn’t know.   

The guy whimpers again, startling Chanyeol. Placing his gun on his belt, Chanyeol thinks of a way of how he’ll be able to move the boy without disturbing him from his sleep. He looks at the boy, and notices the bruises on his face, along with other scars on his thin arms. He tries to shake him, trying to wake him up. He sees the boy open his eyes, looks at his way, and whispers, “Three?” and then, he’s back to sleep before Chanyeol can even reply.  

 _Who the hell are you?_  

 

**_Ignis, 1982_ **

 

 _The Luxurious town of Ignis was in its usual state -- busy and crowded with people screaming their lungs out at the recent accident happening at the station, saying that it’s a waste of time. He only scoffs at that, thinking how a lovely place could have so much ruthless people in it. If he was to make a choice, he’d choose to stay in the sleepy town of Hawkins. Despite its limited facilities and equipments, the place was a lot more peaceful, and the people were nice, willing to be bothered if anyone asks for help. Meanwhile, in Ignis, the people despised being bothered, and if only they could, they would go on with their lives without minding the recent interference._   

 _Said interference was hard to ignore, though. The lights suddenly went out, making the station darker than it usually is in night. A few screams here and there, and the light suddenly went back on, as if nothing else happened. It would’ve been easy to go on, but a woman suddenly rushes past her, bumping the arms of other locals, shouting at the carelessness of the woman. He can’t avoid staring at her though as she holds on the coat of a man, frantic, and if he’s reading her mouth right, she says, “Have you seen my boy?!” The man doesn’t pay no heed, and forcefully removes her hands on his coat, shouting incoherently at the sobbing woman._   

 _Ruthless. The people here are ruthless, even to a person who needs help. He shakes his head, and was about to make his way towards the woman when a loud honk captures his attention, and soon enough, the train is arriving. He looks back at the woman again, thinking that she was still there, yet what once was a woman was replaced by a man in an all black coat, staring directly at him with a sinister smile on his face. He shivers, and rubs his eyes just to make sure that it wasn’t a product of his hallucination. The man was still there with the same hungry look on his face. He was going to approach him, just to bravely ask what he wants, when a hand holds his arm, tightly gripping it._   

 _“Mister, are you getting on or not?” the conductor asks, annoyed, his brows furrowed. He nods, and bows when the man releases him from his grip._   

 _He gets on the train, squeezing past the other passengers, his mind intentionally forgetting about the man, not knowing that it’s the same man who’s about to get him tonight._   

 

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

 

Chanyeol wakes up at the sound of metals clanking at each other.   

He gets up, alarmed at the sudden ruckus happening outside. He reaches for the pistol under his pillow, tightly gripping it as he opens his door to check what or who it was. Did he leave his door open? No, he remembers shutting it close when he purposely left the man he was carrying on his carpet ---  _the man_. Did he somehow invite a thief in his house? Well, that is something he is about to find out.  

He makes his way to his kitchen, kicking it open, hands gripping tightly at the gun, aiming for the culprit, “Don’t move.”   

The boy in front of him stops, his hand on the air, reaching for something he can’t quite see, and then he sees a small smile on his face and mutters,  _“Three?”_  then he notices the gun he was holding, eyes widening. Chanyeol moves forward, gun pointing at the boy, his lips pursed in a thin line, observing the guy who’s slowly moving back as he steps forward. Just when he was about to hold the guy’s wrist, the boy pushes him, surprising him, but Chanyeol was fast enough to hold his arm tightly, stopping the boy from escaping. The boy slightly lowers his head, and glares at him, looking straight into his eyes with so much focus. Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows at the act, confused and slightly agitated, “What the fuck are you doing?”  

The boy continues to glare at him, his face turning to a frown as he stares at Chanyeol. Chanyeol tugs his arm, urging him to move, but the boy remains still as he purposely stares intently at him. He doesn’t move, and stares back, still confused but determined to know what the hell is going on. Suddenly, there’s a shift of emotions in the guy’s eyes, looking lost, and all of a sudden, he swats Chanyeol’s hand away from his arm. Chanyeol thought he was going to run and leave his place, and he’ll be too slow to catch him, but the guy goes near to his cabinet and hits his head repeatedly on it, chanting, “Mad, mad, mad, mad, mad. He, mad. He, mad. Three, he’s mad!”  

 _That guy is_ mad, Chanyeol thought, as he looks at the guy who’s banging his head on his cabinet. Did he bring in someone who’s fucking crazy? He did. The boy was still hitting his head on his cabinet, and Chanyeol’s worried by now, “Please stop.” he says, but the guy doesn’t, and continues what he’s doing, “Stop, please!” he says, moving forward to calm him down but the guy glares at him, thrashing, “No, no, no, no. Fail, fail, fail, fail. Hmm, fail. He, mad. He, mad!”  

Chanyeol backs away instantly, and the guy squints his eyes, looking at him with confusion. Chanyeol looks around, searching for some way to make him calm down. He remembers the guy was reaching for something a while ago, and looks at where it was. The guy suddenly screams, and Chanyeol looks at him, eyes wide, afraid that the guy hurt himself. Thankfully, he didn’t. He was back at hitting his head against the cabinet again, and Chanyeol really can’t take it anymore. He stretches his arm towards the cabinet where the guy was reaching for something, his hand grasping a soft, warm, and perfectly new bread. A bread. He’s not sure if it’s going to work but it’s worth a try. “Please stop.” he says, but the guy continues, “Here. I… I have some bread.”  

The boy stops, his head still against the cabinet. He looks at him, and Chanyeol just nods, stretching his arm, offering his plastic of bread. “I can assure you that this is new. No rats or pests, I swear. Please. Sit down.”  

The guy looks at him skeptically, and Chanyeol just nods at him, smiling nervously, pointing at the seat near him, “You should sit down… I’ll prepare food for you…”  _If that’s the only way to calm you down._  The boy makes small steps towards the seat Chanyeol was pointing at. Chanyeol smiles contentedly at it, and looks for something that the guy would’ve liked. He opens one of his cabinets, and reaches for a peanut butter. “Are you allergic to something?”  

The boy just looks at him with furrowed brows.  _It’s probably a no_ , Chanyeol thought as he opens the cap of the peanut butter, spreading it on the bread. He hears the guy moving his chair, and Chanyeol thinks he’s silently escaping. He looks back and sees the guy just pushed his chair nearer to the table, his hands placed on top of it. Chanyeol shakes his head, and returns his gaze to the bread, putting another piece on top of the peanut butter. He makes two more of it and places it on one of his plates. He sits down on the side opposite of his (unwanted) visitor, pushing the plate towards him. “Here you go. I hope you’re okay with peanut butter. That’s kinda the only thing I have right now.” he offers, and the guy reaches for it carefully, and looks at Chanyeol as if asking for permission. “Go on.”  

He sees the boy quite hesitant, but not a second later, he’s already engulfing the sandwich, munching in a hurried manner that Chanyeol thinks any minute now he’s going to choke. “Easy there.” he says, but like earlier, he gets ignored. He remembers the way the guy acted a while ago.  _Do hungry people act like that?_  he thought as he looks at the very hungry boy in front of him, looking so small, and enjoying the peanut butter sandwich.  _Hungry people are beasts._   

Chanyeol looks at the frail looking guy. His hair was disheveled, his fringe was too long, and he looks like he’s been running for some time. The tattered shirt he’s wearing is too big for him, the  _Star Wars_ slightly mocking him. The way his shirt had hung low revealed his bruised collarbones. He doesn’t have any pants on, and he takes note to lend him some before he asks him to leave or, well, before he arrests him. He takes a look at his arms, and it was also bruised.  _What the hell happened to this guy?_  He sees something tattooed on his wrist, catching his attention.  _004_ , it says.  _Is he part of some kind of cult?_  He curiously looks at the guy’s face again, and before he can even say something, he raises his head and looks at Chanyeol, glaring at him while holding a peanut butter sandwich in his hand. Chanyeol clears his throat, “Uh, don’t mind me. Eat.”   

He thought that’s how their conversation will end, but the guy, while still munching on his sandwich, points at his cabinet. “Three, peanut butter.” he says clearly, surprising Chanyeol.  _So he can talk properly, huh…_   

Chanyeol reaches for the peanut butter, and hands it over to the guy. The guy accepts it, twists the cap open, and before Chanyeol can even stop him, he dips his fingers inside, sucking his peanut butter-coated fingers, moaning everytime he tastes the peanut butter. _Guess I’ll have to buy a new one then._  A few minutes later, the guy stops and stares at him blankly. “Are you done now?” he asks, reaching for the container, but the boy hisses, hugging the peanut butter on his chest, keeping it away from him. “Right. I’m sorry.” he says, clasping his hands, waiting for the guy to finally finish before interrogating him. He hopes it won’t be too hard to do so, thinking that after eating like a hungry beast, he’s okay to talk to by now.  

A few minutes of waiting, Chanyeol sees the guy closing the container, and hugs it against his chest, still protecting it from him. “You can have it. I won’t take it from you.” he says, assuring the man in front of him. The guy was still glaring at him, but Chanyeol has gotten used to it by now and doesn’t pay no heed.   

“Is it okay to ask you questions?” he asks, slowly trying to start a  _proper_  conversation with him. The guy glares at him (again), “I’m guessing that’s a no, then?” he says, and the guy was just gawking at him. “Well, we aren’t getting anywhere here if you’ll be like this…”  

The guy just stares at him, hands still clutching at the container of peanut butter. Chanyeol sighs, “I’ll probably contact someone —”  

“No!” the guy shouts, stopping Chanyeol from whatever he was about to say. “No. Calling, no.”  

“What?” Chanyeol asks, confused. “Are you wanted or something?” he asks, which was kind of a stupid question because he literally works at the police department, and no recent reports stated to be wary of someone wanted in this town, unless he’s from another city. Chanyeol guesses Ignis, since the people there are as bad as how they look. The guy continues to glare at him, his chest heaving up and down as he places the peanut butter jar on the table. His fists are clenched as he stares at him, as if he’s concentrating. Chanyeol doesn’t break the staring, and grits his teeth, annoyed.   

“Is glaring the only thing you can do? I get it. You’re an expert in glaring, but things won’t go in the way you want it be when you’re with me.” he says, the tone of his voice warning. The guy continues to glare at him, irking him. “Are you a fucking psychopath? Are you crazy?” he asks sarcastically, and he remembers Madman Heechul’s thoughts about the laboratory, and Chief Kim’s recent works, “Ah, maybe you’re from the laboratory? Are they nursing you because you’re fucking mental? Come on, answer me, you psychopath.” he says, and the guy clenches his fist tightly, his veins were already visible on his wrists, his tattoo more visible as he does so. “You’re from the laboratory, aren’t you? Do they call you Four? Is that why you have it tattooed on your wrists —”  

The guy screams, startling and stopping Chanyeol from what he was saying. The guy was screaming loudly, and Chanyeol had to cover his ears, and shuts his eyes, trying to silence it. The guy’s high-pitched scream was going on for a few minutes by now, and he thinks he heard one of his glasses break. Just when Chanyeol thought it was over, the guy screams again, and this time it’s  _louder_ , louder than what he was doing a while ago. “LABORATORY. NO. HE, MAD. I, FAIL. NO. NO MORE.” he shouts, confusing Chanyeol even more.   

“What?” he says loudly, and the guy just screams, and Chanyeol is trying to calm him down. It’s probably 3 AM right now, and he’s pretty sure his neighbors are up by now. Anyone’s going to be if there’s someone screaming shitless at this time of the night. “Calm down, please! I won’t call anyone!” Chanyeol says desperately, waving his hands in front of the boy.

The guy glares at him again, whispering, “No, laboratory. Bad. Fail. Me. I, fail.”  

“I won’t call anyone!” he says, “Please, just… tell me at least your name.”  

The guy just glares at him, his fists still clenched. Chanyeol sighs exasperatedly, shaking his head. “Is it Four?” he guesses, pointing at the tattooed  _004_  on his wrist.   

“Four, no. Laboratory. Four. No.” he says, shaking his head.   

Chanyeol thinks hard about what he’s trying to say, “Do you mean the people in the laboratory call you Four?” he asks, and the guy nods at him, his lips pursed as he stares at him. “Then should I call you Four?” he asks, and he shook his head. “Then what should I call you?” he asks, curious. The boy opens his mouth, muttering something Chanyeol can’t quite hear clearly. “What?”  

“Baekhyun.” he answers and bows his head to avoid Chanyeol’s intent gaze. He doesn't notice the redness on his cheeks when he says his name.  

“Right, Baekhyun.” he says, “Do you have any home?” he asks, hoping that the question would not trigger anything on the boy. Baekhyun nods, and Chanyeol frowns, confused. “Wait, how old are you?” he asks, thinking that Baekhyun was just a minor, rebelling against his parents. Baekhyun raises his two fingers, followed by the other three. “25?” Chanyeol clarifies, surprised when Baekhyun nods at him. “Did you run away from home, then?” he asks, and Baekhyun shook his head, his lips quivering as he looks directly at Chanyeol’s eyes.  

“Laboratory. Home.” he answers, his reply too vague, in Chanyeol’s opinion. “No, no. No run away. Baekhyun did not. Baekhyun did not. Baekhyun did not. I am good. Please. No calling, please…” he says, desperately looking at Chanyeol’s confused eyes. “ _Three_ , it’s me.” he says clearly, surprising Chanyeol.  _He can speak like a normal human being!_  

“I’m not Three.” Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun furrows his brows, confused. “I’m also not three years old, if that’s what you mean…”  

“You Three!” he says, pointing at him.   

“Me not Three!” he replies in a mocking manner, “I’m Chanyeol.”  

Baekhyun looks at him incredulously, his eyes darting sideways, “Not Three?” he asks. Chanyeol shook his head, and Baekhyun stands up, rather hurriedly, alarming Chanyeol.  

“Hey!” he shouts, and Baekhyun stops from moving, his hand on the knob, “Where are you going?”  

“Not Three…” he says, “You, bad. Are you?”  

“I’m not!” Chanyeol replies, “I’m not a bad person. I’m a…” cop, he wants to say, but he needs to play safe if he wants to know Baekhyun’s motives. “Friend.”  

“Friend?” Baekhyun asks, his nose scrunching, “Friend? Three?”  

“Yeah, I’m Three’s friend.” he introduces, “I’m Chanyeol. A friend.”  

Baekhyun relaxes, his hands on his side, still looking around skeptically. “Not bad?”  

“I’m not.” he reassures him, “I’m here to help you.”  _Help with what? Lies, Park Chanyeol. Lies._  Baekhyun looks at him, his piercing gaze still there, and Chanyeol looks back at him just to prove himself. He needs to know Baekhyun, and as of now, the only thing he knows is that he’s from the Hawkins National Laboratory. He might be of help with his quests. Who knows, maybe Madman Heechul’s theories and knowledge about the Hawkins National Laboratory’s hidden agenda may be true.  

He never told this to anyone, but there are times that he considers Madman Heechul’s words as a clue. Such theories won’t arise if not for the idea that  _maybe_  he knows something. There has to be a start, an origin of an idea, for it to happen. It’s better to consider Madman Heechul’s stupid theories, for every clue may be a step nearer to his destination.   

“Come on,” Chanyeol says, walks near to Baekhyun, and ends up retracting it when Baekhyun flinches from his touch. Chanyeol just smiles at him understandingly, “We’ll get some clothes. You should change. People might look at you weirdly. Most of my clothes are probably bigger than you but it will work. I'll apply some medicine in your bruises, too...” he explains, leading the way towards his room. As much as he detests people whom he doesn’t trust go inside his room, somehow, Baekhyun’s presence could be an exception to it. Not just because of the fact that he needs Baekhyun to trust him, but something about him makes Chanyeol think that he’s really one of the few people whom he can trust when it comes to his plans. All that he has to do is to observe more, and be a little more skeptical, and if Baekhyun says something beneficial for him, he’d gladly give the benefit of doubt to the boy.   

Chanyeol is humming softly, filling the quiet atmosphere that’s surrounding them. He can see Baekhyun roaming his eyes around the cabin, his eyes lingering at every frame that he sees, frowning as the frames become lesser and lesser as they near his room. He looks like he wants to ask something, but decides against it whenever Chanyeol looks his way, his eyes looking at him innocently, a question hanging in the air.  

He rummages for anything that may possibly fit the thin boy standing near his bed. He tosses every shirt of his that seem to not fit the boy to the side, and when he finds a small shirt that he has outgrown over the years, he hands it to Baekhyun along with some pants that hopefully fit him, despite it being too big to fit his waist. “Sorry. All of my clothes are kind of too big for you, and I thought you’d prefer it if your clothes actually fit. No offense to your current clothes, that is.” he explains, as the man in front of him pulls the hem of his shirt, biting his lower lip as Chanyeol peers down at him, his arms extended as he tries to hand the clothes to Baekhyun, “Come on. Accept it. You don’t have anything else to wear.” he says, and holds Baekhyun’s wrist, forcing him to accept the clothes. “Change. I won’t look.” he says and faces the other side of the wall to give Baekhyun some privacy.  

He hears a few shifting, and Chanyeol assumes that it’s Baekhyun changing. Chanyeol sighs, runs his hands through his hair, and thinks what the fuck he has signed up for. If his conscience did not act up a while ago, he would’ve had someone to bring into the police station, but Baekhyun looked too pitiful to even consider doing so. It’s like Baekhyun has been on the run or something, judging by the way he looks. If he ended up bringing in someone wanted in his own household, he’s going to ruin his career, and end up in the slumps with everyone in the City of Hawkins judging him because of the recklessness of his act. On the positive side of everything though, if Baekhyun is from the Hawkins National Laboratory, he’ll be able to discover something about it. Probably more than what madman Heechul has already discovered with his theories and “connections” from the laboratory. If Baekhyun ends up being decent, he’ll be able to get every information from him if the said boy trusts him enough to do so.   

He breaks out from his trance when he hears a shattering of glass and Chanyeol snaps his head back towards Baekhyun’s direction in panic, thinking that Baekhyun is trying to find a way for him to escape. “Fuck, I trusted you —“ he stops when he sees Baekhyun peering down at the broken frame, a picture of his sister, smiling as she hugs Chanyeol along the seashores, her chin on top of his head. It was his favorite picture, and it explains why it’s kept hidden in his room, where nobody else can see. It’s the picture he treasures the most, the only thing that’s making him hold on to a small sign of hope. “What the fuck happened?” he hisses, striding towards Baekhyun’s side, kneeling down, careful not to hurt himself as he picks up the glasses. He’s not sure if he’s pissed because Baekhyun broke his only visible memory with his sister, or if he’s going to be pissed with himself for letting Baekhyun near it, or both. God, Chanyeol doesn’t know anymore.   

 _“Three,”_  he hears Baekhyun faintly whispering, and Chanyeol frowns at it. Baekhyun repeats the same word again, and it further pushes Chanyeol’s buttons.  

“I am not Three!” he exclaims, glaring at Baekhyun who’s looking down at his glasses-full hands. “How many times do I have to repeat that!?”  

Baekhyun shook his head, and points at the picture on the floor,  _“Three.”_   

“What?” Chanyeol asks, confused. He looks at the picture again, and back to Baekhyun’s pointing finger.  _Three_ , he said. Did he mean that the person in the picture is Three? Yoora’s name was far from it, but if it’s the same with Baekhyun, who is called Four in the laboratory, then it’s definitely not impossible for Yoora to be called Three. “She’s Three?” he asks, stands up to hold Baekhyun’s arms as he looks directly at his eyes, searching for answers.   

“Yes, Three.” Baekhyun answers, nodding. “Friend of Three, right? You?”   

“No,” Chanyeol answers truthfully, his act of being a friend of “Three” dropping, and lets go of Baekhyun’s arms to pick up the photograph lying on the cold floor. He raises it, and shows the photo to Baekhyun who’s looking at him curiously. “I’m his brother.”  

 

 

  ** _Hawkins National Laboratory, 1986_**   

 _“LET ME GO!” he screams, kicking his feet, hoping that it would somehow make it hard for the men holding his arms tightly, dragging him into a cell. “Fuck. FUCK! Let me go!” he screams, thrashing around just to shake the arms off of him. “Please. I’ll do it again. Just… let me go.” he says, desperation evident in his form._   

 _“That won’t do.” the man answers curtly, and smirks. “You’re a failure. Why won’t you get to do things right when we need you to?”_   

 _“Please. One more chance, and I’m sure I’ll be able to do it.” he says, his lips quivering as the tears well up in his eyes. The man only shook his head, dragging him towards a cell that he’s been loathing ever since he came to the lab. “No, please! NO! Not the cell, please!” he chokes, his tears falling. God, the people here are merciless, and they won’t even care if someone will die of torture._   

 _“Stay there with that failure.” the doctor says, tossing him on the floor like he’s some trash. He looks around the dark room, no lights for him to be able to control. He can feel the mist touching his skin, the white particles visible under the dark sky. He was in this place again — the place where everything’s sucked out of you, every happiness, and every hope that one has ends up perished every time he’s here. It was cold, dark, and it gives him the haunting feeling of being trapped in this hellhole, just like the first time he was here. The least thing he can hope for is that the monster was nowhere near them, ready to eat them for dinner._   

 _Someone coughs on his side, and he looks at it with fear. Is he here? He tries to make the outline of who it was, squinting his eyes, and clenching his fist, hoping that this time it’s going to work._   

 _It shocks him when his hands lights up, giving light to the darkness that they’re in. He walks to the direction of it, knowing that at least with light, he’d be somehow protected from whatever creature that’s currently screeching from far away, sensing some light in the world full of darkness. He follows the coughing sound, and soon enough, he sees a girl curled up into a ball, sobbing and coughing as the cold wind brushes against her skin. The girl looks up to her, her eyes blown wide at the sight of him shining, standing out, in the dark. He’s surprised to see her, “Three, what are you doing here?” he asks._   

 _“They… they punished me.” she answers, her lips quivering._   

 _“That’s impossible. Why would they?” he asks incredulously, because it was true. The girl in front of him was probably the only person who has never stepped foot into this place as a punishment. She was the one that received all of the doctor’s praise, always the one that would do well in every task they asked her to perform. Now, why is she here, sitting in the cold, just like what he has been experiencing before?_   

 _“It was the first time that I failed. And he was so mad. Really mad. He thought that everything’s going well already, and I…” she trails off, closes her eyes as the mist hits her eyes, clouding up her vision. “Please. Help me.”_   

 _“I’m sorry. I can’t.” he answers, and sits beside her, holding her hand to at least provide some sense of companionship with her. He smiles, as she looks at his orbs, and she smiles back. “We’ll get through this.” he says, for comfort. Both of them know it’s a lie, but it’s the only way for them to hold on to something that would somehow make them feel alive in this soul-sucking place they ended up on. His hold on her hand tightens as the screeching sound gets louder and louder as the time passes by, and he fears that anytime now they’ll end up dead, without even saying goodbye to the real world they’re trying to get back to. He just hopes that his words were true, so that somehow, he’ll at least have a reason to live._   

 _He’ll get through this._   

 _They’ll get through this._   

— — —


	2. Power

**CHAPTER TWO: Power**    

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

 

Chanyeol slams the door, startling Jongdae who’s slouching on his seat, a newspaper on his face. “Jesus! What the fuck? What? What has gotten you riled up this morning?” Jongdae exclaims, straightening his uniform, his badge shining in Chanyeol’s view.  

 _Baekhyun_. That man has gotten him riled up all night, frustrating him every time he tries to talk to him properly. All he did was mumble to him incoherently as he interrogates him about Yoora. He was  _desperate_  to know, and he needed answers to everything he’s been wondering about ever since he was young, ever since that day Yoora went missing. He wants to know, just to prove that he’s been holding on to something, not on to nothing.   

The only clear answer he’s got from him was the fact that his sister is alive. That information alone was hard enough to get it out from him, and he ended up with a shaking from fear Baekhyun, intimidated by his voice booming inside his room. Said information should’ve been enough, but it only sparked Chanyeol’s curiosity, and he  _feels_  a lot nearer to his destination, to the goal he’s been trying to achieve all these years. It would’ve been easy, god, it would have. If only Baekhyun wasn’t such an uncooperative person, he would’ve gotten all his answers in no time.   

“Nothing, Jongdae.” he answers, when he sees the officer squinting his eyes at him as he runs his hands through his hair in sheer frustration. “Didn’t get to sleep well last night.”  

“Did you get a good fuck?” Jongdae says, laughing.  

“Is this a face of a person who looks like he had a good fuck?” Chanyeol answers back, pointing at his frowning face, definitely not amused with Jongdae’s comment.  

“Eh. It could’ve been that. And you’re frustrated because you can’t go for another because you have work, and since you’re such a responsible person, you do not want to ruin your image by not going to this awfully boring station.” Jongdae assumes, clicking events together that do not even make any sense.    

Chanyeol rolls his eyes at that, “You say so much nonsense. I’m not interested in that since, quoting what you just said, I’m such a responsible person. Why not do the same?”   

“That’s probably the reason why you keep on ignoring that Seulgi girl’s advances on you.” Jongdae says and snorts. Chanyeol just glares at him and Jongdae raises his hands up in surrender, “Fine. I’ll shut up. Just because I don’t want to be on the receiving end of your bad temper.”  

 _Good._  Chanyeol thought. He really isn’t in the mood to deal with anything more frustrating. Truth be told, if it was a normal day, he would’ve just laughed it all off. In fact, if it was a normal day, he wouldn’t come to the station with a scowling face. If only Baekhyun didn’t blurt out anything, he would’ve had a better mood, and he would’ve been a better person towards said guy.  

Okay, maybe he was a bit  _too_  rude towards the guy. It was obvious he has some traumatizing experience he has yet to know of, and he should’ve been understanding, but Chanyeol’s a brute when he’s agitated, and he couldn’t control any of his emotions once Baekhyun revealed something so important in his life. He admits that he should’ve approached the guy in a much gentler manner. And maybe Chanyeol’s a little guilty for acting like such. It’s him who wants something from him, yet it’s like he’s obligating him to say something that might be personal. But can anyone blame him? He’s been looking for his sister for 10 years, and the fact that there’s something big that has been revealed to him, why else should he hesitate in looking for her?  

Not only that, but the way Baekhyun acted towards him was kind of…  _odd_. It wasn’t normal for someone to act like that, and it’s like he’s drugged and he’s asked to do something so risky. Whenever Chanyeol touches him, he flinches and backs away, like he’s some fine china that’s about to break once touched. He always glares at him, focusing on him with his fists clenched, and if Chanyeol looks carefully, it’s like his veins are about to pop, then any second he’s going to faint from too much glaring that he’s doing.  

Baekhyun was probably the strangest person Chanyeol has ever met.  

Chanyeol shakes his head just to remove any Baekhyun-related thoughts. It’s too early for him to be this much pissed, and he’d most definitely try his best just to end his day a little bit well. Even if going home means seeing Baekhyun acting weird at him. He’s too suspicious, and if Chanyeol has a choice, he would’ve opted to bring Baekhyun here in the station and file a report himself. Except Baekhyun has a use, and Chanyeol’s not exactly willing to let any of his chances go.  

“Look at this,” Jongdae says, throwing a newspaper to his direction, “I think Madman Heechul has another theory about the Hawkins National Laboratory. And this time it’s about some runaway patient. I think it’s all lies, though. I don’t know about him, but I didn’t receive any notif about any patients running away last night.”   

Chanyeol reaches for the newspaper, his eyes focusing on Heechul’s picture on the side of his article. Patient on the Loose, the article title says, and Chanyeol bets that the only content Madman Heechul has posted were pure bullshit, and some lies just to probably say something without using any reliable information. He’s surprised to even see him in the front page again. Does he have that much money to the point that he can land a good page with its content being too controversial and unreliable?  

And what is this about runaway patients? He’s sure Chief Kim said something about running after from some patient from the Hawkins National Laboratory. “I think Chief Kim was after this patient thing.”  

“What?” Jongdae asks him, his brows furrowed, “He didn’t say anything about it last night.”  

“Yeah, he said it was a chaos in the Hawkins National Laboratory last night. This must be what he was talking about.” Chanyeol explains and glances at the paper again, the photograph of Madman Heechul, mocking him. “Didn’t think it was that big of an issue.” he says, and throws the newspaper back to Jongdae’s hands.   

“It actually is," Jongdae replies, and Chanyeol looks at him, confused. Since when was the plans of the laboratory so important to the point that it would be big if the city folks know about it? Chanyeol really needs to know more about this town if he’s on the lookout. 10 years but his knowledge seems to be still not enough.   

Jongdae clears his throat, putting his hand under his chin, thinking. “The Hawkins National Laboratory never stated anything about keeping patients in their lab.”  

“What?” Chanyeol asks, aghast. “Are you serious? You must be kidding me.”  

“I’m not.” Jongdae says with all seriousness, “Back in the 70s, when the Hawkins National Laboratory was accused of using humans as their test subject, they proved to the public that they never used humans for their experiments. Well, unless they’re conducting a research focused on social stuff, but see, those kinds of research rarely cause any harm. The public believed them since no one ever reported mistreating from the laboratory. But this… did Chief Kim really say that he was in the laboratory yesterday? Looking for some runaway patient?”  

“Yes,” Chanyeol answers, and leans back on his chair as he runs his hand through his hair, “He wasn’t in the station the whole day so I was curious where he was.”   

“This is big, Chanyeol.” Jongdae says, his eyes rounding at the realization, “Do you think no one really knew or do you think they hid it to the people on purpose?”  

 _On purpose_ , Chanyeol wants to reply but decides against it. “I don’t know. What do you think?”  

“I think it’s on purpose,” Jongdae replies truthfully, nodding. It's a good thing that they were on the same sides then, “Madman Heechul’s statements somehow make sense now…”  

“What did he say to make your mind change like that? Did he proclaim his undying love for the laboratory scientists or something?” Chanyeol asks jokingly. “You know so much about the Hawkins National Laboratory and its past. You amuse me.”  

Jongdae rolls his eyes at what he said, “Shut up. We have so much time in our hands to the point that I literally read every article I can see in every drawer that we have in here. And, no. I’m pretty sure he would prefer to die rather than admit he’s interested in the people of the Hawkins National Laboratory. Anyways, if you read Heechul’s article, it states there how a boy ran away from the laboratory at some time in the morning, and the head of the Hawkins National Laboratory only knew about it at like 12 noon because some guy from the diner called that there was a guy at his place, and he seemed like wearing a white gown or something.” Jongdae explains, shrugging as he says, “I don’t know why he called the laboratory when he can literally call  _us_  about it.”  

“It’s probably because it was obvious that he was from the laboratory,” Chanyeol states, “How did Madman Heechul even know about that? Is that thing even real? We didn’t even get any news about it.”  

“That’s true,” Jongdae says, frowning, “I mean, if he wasn’t even there, how else would he know that someone tattooed with a  _Four_  was the one who escaped. It’s too specific… it’s like he was there when everything happened.”  

“What?!” Chanyeol asks, his eyes rounding with what he heard, _“Four?”_  he clarifies, and Jongdae looks at him with confusion, and nods his head as an answer. Chanyeol sits back deeper on his seat, shaking his head.  _Tattoo. Four. Baekhyun._  The missing person was literally with him last night, and he was just too stupid to not even realize it! He should’ve remembered what Chief Kim said last night about running after some boy who escaped from the laboratory. He was too preoccupied with all the things that happened last night that he hardly remembered anything about his conversation with the Chief. Madman Heechul’s  _guesses_  actually make sense; however, if Baekhyun was from the diner, and he was wearing the usual white gown patients have, how come he saw Baekhyun in that oversized tattered shirt instead of the one they said he was seen wearing? There’s a loophole in Madman Heechul’s statements.  

Jongdae wasn’t lying when he said this was big. It was  _scandalous_ , remembering how Baekhyun was covered with bruises and scars. Chanyeol was not a man who thinks too much of things, but the only thing he can assume of his scars was that it was from where he came from — the laboratory.   

Should he tell Jongdae about it? After all, he was the one who informed him about it. And if there’s anyone else he can trust in this town, it would be Jongdae. Maybe he should. Jongdae seems to know a lot about the town, even more than a self-proclaimed lover of the town Chanyeol is. All of his knowledge about the lab would help Chanyeol for sure.  

“Listen, Jongdae. Last night —” he was abruptly stopped when the telephone rings, breaking the tension present in the air from all the talking they’ve been doing. Jongdae stands up to answer the call, and he faintly hears him exclaiming a  _What?!_  and a,  _Okay we’re going!_  before slamming the telephone down.  

“Let’s continue to talk about this later. For now, we have to go to Wu’s Diner.” Jongdae says hurriedly, placing his belt on his pants, his gun placed firmly on the side.  

“What? Why?” Chanyeol asks, standing up, reaching for his hat.  

“Wu’s down.” Jongdae says curtly, walking towards the door as Chanyeol follows behind him. “It’s the same diner Madman Heechul stated. Let’s go.” he says, not minding to turn and look at Chanyeol as he opens the door, leaving a gaping Chanyeol behind.  

Everything’s slowly making sense, and Chanyeol’s not sure how else should he handle it.  

 

 

 _Wu’s Diner_  was crowded by the time they arrived. The press was there, and he can see reporter Bae Joohyun near the door, her brows furrowed as she reads through her notes regarding the recent incident. Everyone else was trying to get a look in the inside of the diner, knowing all too well that the crime has happened inside. Chanyeol can hear them whispering, wondering what the hell happened to the diner that they usually go into. He’s also wondering of the same thing, and as much as he wants to ponder on about it, there’s a much bigger thought that’s clouding his mind, and no matter how much he wants to try to erase it in his head, he can’t seem to do it.   

 _“It’s the same diner Madman Heechul stated.”_  Jongdae said. And even if Chanyeol doesn’t want to think too much about it, he can’t. He wants to know why this happened, and even if he hasn’t read the full detail of what Heechul indicated in his article, he’s sure as hell that what’s in Wu’s Diner isn’t pleasant to his eyes – to anyone’s eyes. Chanyeol braces himself as he pushes the door open, its sound creaking and gaining the gossipers’ attention.  

“God, what the hell is that smell…” Jongdae mutters, covering his nose with his gloved hand as he walks towards the scene, the other officers present. At the distance, he can see Chief Kim closely peering down at the table, shaking his head. Jongdae moves closer to it and says, “Chief!” gaining attention from the other officers that were with Chief Kim. Jongdae just looks at them apologetically as he pushes them to the side with Chanyeol in tow.  

There Chanyeol sees Yifan, his head damaged, and dried blood can be seen. That wasn’t the only thing that was present in the scene. There was a  _gun_  from afar, discarded or thrown away by someone. It was the type of gun that no normal local should own, different from the handgun Chanyeol carries. He had his head down on the table, as if he was just asleep. Could it be… “Suicide? Murder? What?” Chanyeol voices out, and Chief Kim looks at him, his eyes blank as he nods at him, then looks down again at Yifan.  

“Cases… murder… suicide…huh,” Jongdae mutters, earning a look from the Chief whose hands were on the side of his waist, “Is now the time to miss having a peaceful life in the station? Too much strange things are now happening, and I now feel like a cop. What do you think, Officer Park? Chief?”   

“This isn’t a laughing matter, Jongdae.” Chief Kim states, shaking his head for the nth time today. “Yifan was the last person I would have thought to do this. He shouldn’t have experienced this. The laboratory came here a while ago and reported that it was suicide… so Officer Kim, have some decency and respect the person. We don’t know what he had gone through.”

Both Chanyeol and Jongdae kept their lips pursed, not wanting to annoy the Chief. It was true, though. In this town, no one ever showed any sadness even on times when they try to help the people around them. Each person in this town were the happiest ones that Chanyeol has ever seen — even if it’s only in the outside. Wu Yifan was not an exception to that. Whenever Chanyeol would go to his diner, Yifan would always accommodate him. He even tries to have a small talk with him even if he was busy serving other people. He was that kind of person, and Chanyeol wonders what kind of life Yifan has outside the diner for him to even consider committing suicide. Chanyeol doesn’t know and most certainly, he will  _never_ know.   

Yet a silent question is hanging in the air, and he’s sure that Jongdae’s probably thinking of the same thing too as his gaze lingers on the pistol from afar.

Was it really suicide?  

 

 

Baekhyun turns his head every time he hears a rustle from outside, his fear of being caught overpowering every bit of his system. He can’t help it. He’s been on the run for the whole day yesterday and he feels like any minute now, someone’s going to turn up in his captor’s doorstep with a gun clutched on their hand.  _No, they can’t_. Baekhyun would do everything for it to not happen. What happened yesterday at the diner can’t happen  _again_. Not when he feels safe here in this cabin he’s in.   

The chances of being seen in this cabin was low, true. But the Hawkins National Laboratory has its own machines — far too improved, unpredictable, as if they are watching everyone’s steps through a monitor, and Baekhyun knows little about it, only having a glimpse on it that time when the head of the laboratory was dragging him towards his cell. Yet all this little knowledge, Baekhyun  _knows_ that the town they’re in is anything but safe. 10 years stuck in a hellhole was enough to make him realize the ugliness this town has been trying to hide. And even if Baekhyun wants to talk about it, he has to be careful. Everything has to be according to his plan.  _According to his act_. So, even though his captor, Chanyeol, wants to know something about his sister, Three, he can’t. Because he’s still not sure if Chanyeol is one of the people he can trust, if he can be considered a friend instead of an enemy he’s trying to escape.  

In this town, no one can be trusted. That, Baekhyun is sure of.   

Every window in this cabin is closed, yet the warm feeling that it has is still there and despite everything that’s happening, Baekhyun tries to savor the moment. With a peanut butter and a sandwich in his hand, he sits down on the chair opposite to the weird looking box in front of him. He forgot what it was called, but he’s sure they had this back at home when he was still with his mother.   

 _His mother_. He’s sure by now that he has forgotten her, and she has forgotten him. He would do everything just to remember every memory he had with her… anything besides the ones he saw in his files the night before he ran away. He would give everything. Everything. Not only with his mother, but with the rest of his family. But that’s what’s funny because he has nothing except himself… and whatever it is those bastards gave him. Fear, ugliness, pain, and  _power_.  

He closes his eyes, concentrating on the idea of darkness surrounding him, the darkness that has been keeping him up, killing him each night he sleeps. As he closes his eyes and concentrates to it, the light in the room flickers, and it will explode if he doesn’t stop in doing so. His grip on the hem of his shirt tightens, almost ripping it. He can hear the sound of the light, feeling the burning heat of it, and his eyes snap wide open as it happens. His gaze lingers on the light that’s currently about to break, and when he thinks of what shouldn’t happen, the light stops flickering, and continues to lighten up the room as if nothing happened. Baekhyun smiles triumphantly at that, munching his unforgotten sandwich.   

If one’s going to ask why Baekhyun doesn’t want to fully trust Chanyeol (besides the fact that he pointed a gun at him and almost threatened to kill him despite his vulnerable state), it’s because he doesn’t know  _why_  it didn’t work with him.  

And he needs to know why.  

 

 

 

“The Chief’s not here, Zitao.” Chanyeol says exasperatedly, leaning back on his chair upon having a stressful morning. One can’t easily move on from a sight like Wu’s condition that’s for sure.   

“I know something about what happened at the Wu’s diner, you know?” Zitao said so casually as he plops down on a seat opposite to Chanyeol. He gets a stick from his breast pocket, puts it in between his lips, and moves his forefinger, motioning Chanyeol to light it up. Chanyeol does it reluctantly, reaching for a lighter on the side of his table. Zitao leans forward and inhales. Its scent was reaching Chanyeol and he tries to resist the urge to openly cough at him.  

“What is it?” Chanyeol asks, eager to know anything about the recent case. Chanyeol signals Jongdae to move closer and listen to them. “I’m not the Chief but I’m pretty sure in cases like these, you could rely on me to try and pass the message to him.”  

“Well,” Zitao starts, the cig in between his index and middle finger. “I can’t believe that he did this.”  

“Yeah, the Chief can’t either.” Chanyeol says, nodding. “Do you think he had any problem in his life? Enemies? Any mental health problems?”  

“No…” Zitao replies, “He was actually preparing for a new diner. He wanted to do build one in Ignis, and he was prepared of it and all, even excitedly gushing about all of his plans, all the floor plans and stuff like that. He didn’t seem to have any problem, honestly.”  

Chanyeol listens eagerly, his thoughts the same with Zitao. He mentioned this a while ago, but Wu Yifan was not the person he thought that would ever commit to such act, and it was strange how the guy has a gun, and not only just a normal gun, but it was something  _illegal_ to keep here in Hawkins. Not everyone has such kind of gun, only the rich, the privileged, and the ones who are in such profession can have one. “Yeah, I could say the same.” Chanyeol replies, and Zitao nods at him.  

“Well, I visited yesterday at around 10-ish? In the morning. And he was just doing the usual, y’know? Cooking, serving, and all. I was talking to him about those business proposals and contracts he wanted me to attend to, suddenly he excused himself saying that he saw someone in his kitchen. I looked at him and saw him talking to a guy, his height was around Yifan’s shoulder, and he has silver hair…” Zitao trails off, furrowing his eyebrows as he tries to recollect his memories about it. At his peripheral vision, he can see Jongdae jotting out notes, intently listening to whatever it is Zitao is describing. Chanyeol wants to know whether Madman Heechul’s guesses were true, and the only way he could confirm it is through Zitao. Hopefully.  

“If I remember it correctly, he was wearing Yifan’s white shirt, that one from the sci-fi movie, and he has nothing underneath it, at least that’s what I remember when they came out of the kitchen, with Yifan asking the guy to sit down while he makes a call…” Zitao says, and Chanyeol’s heartbeat quickens, because he already has an idea about it, and it’s honestly making him want to go back to his cabin and talk to the person Zitao is currently describing. But, how come Madman Heechul stated something about a guy wearing a lab gown? It was different from what Zitao is saying. Chanyeol was about to thank Zitao for telling them such useful information when Zitao suddenly continues what he was saying, “Oh! And the guy was holding a white cloth, I’m not sure, but it looked like a hospital gown or something… I can’t say. It’s the same with those that I saw whenever I went to the Hawkins National Laboratory, the ones that the scientists were wearing. He kept on glaring at people who were looking at his way… mad boy, I guess. But Yifan was a nice guy so I’m not really surprised that he was willing to help him.” Zitao explains and huffs out air.   

 _Glaring. Baekhyun._  Chanyeol was sure it was Baekhyun, given that he saw him in a white  _Star Wars_ tattered shirt that night with nothing else underneath it. It was frightening how everything’s connecting one by one, and Chanyeol’s now sure he needs Baekhyun if he wants to know more about the strange things happening in their town.

“Then I left the diner for a while since I had to run some errands for my own business. Told him I was going to come back by noon, but along the way, I thought I saw him running out of his diner, and someone was trailing behind him. I couldn’t see who it was, but I’m pretty sure he was running away from them. Maybe they were some people he had debts with, I don’t know. Seems fishy for me.” Zitao narrates, huffing when he had ended.

If Chanyeol thinks about it, it  _was_ fishy. It didn’t match up. He knows that the information Zitao had said was something important. However, he can’t quite pinpoint where those people who have been chasing Wu were from. It could be some case of murder, if he had debts with them that he did not tend to. Chanyeol can’t have a final say with it though. Those were only his speculations. He needs to investigate this further if that’s the case. After all, they still aren’t sure what the cause of it was.

“Well, that’s all. I’m not sure if it was helpful, but I came in here today voluntarily instead of waiting for you guys to come. I’m just… concerned, and also appalled with what’s happening. I hope this case doesn’t turn cold like the other ones. Yifan’s a good friend of mine, and all I want is for him to have the justice he deserves. Well, rest in peace to my old friend,” Zitao says and stubs his cigarette on the desk and throws it out on the small bin beside it. He looks at Jongdae and asks, “Hey, do you have some gum?” Jongdae rolls his eyes at that, but nonetheless complies and reaches for a gum on his drawer. Zitao mumbles out a  _thanks_  and goes out as if he didn’t just say something important. Like he just visited some old friend inside.  

Chanyeol remains motionless in his seat, his mind wandering as he thinks of Baekhyun. His tattered shirt, his bruises, the way he acts, not to mention fact that he looks like he has been running for a long time… He looks at the wall clock and sees that it was still too early for him to even try to go back to his cabin. He just hopes that Baekhyun doesn’t even try to escape while he’s out. Now that he thinks about it, it’s a mistake that he left him there without even thinking of any way to prevent him from going out. He mentally slaps himself at that, but he clings on to the small amount of chance that he won’t go out because it’s still unsafe for him to do so. Because the people in the Hawkins National Laboratory are still looking for him.   

He doesn’t hear Jongdae who’s been calling him loudly to get his attention. Jongdae slaps his arm and Chanyeol stands up out of reflex, yelping as he brushes the slapped area. “What?”  

“I’ve been calling you! I said the Chief’s here!” Jongdae said, pointing at Chief Kim who was sitting comfortably at his usual seat, sipping a cup of coffee while reading some paperwork like he doesn’t have any case to investigate. “Mate, I think you should tell him what Zitao just said.”  

“Has he been here for a while now?”  

“Is that even a serious question? You literally talked to Zitao a few minutes ago, saying that you’ll rely the message to the Chief since he’s not here. I hope that’s a good enough answer for you.” Jongdae says and rolls his eyes. Chanyeol does the same.  

“You could’ve just answered with a yes or no, but well, whatever.” he replies, and makes his way to the Chief’s office.   

He knocks and waits for the Chief to look at him, and once he does, he smiles and bows at him. “Chief, I didn’t see you coming here.” he says and makes his way to the seat near the Chief’s desk. He looks at the nameplate on his desk, the gold  _Kim Minseok - Chief_  shining under his gaze. Chief Kim just nods at him, his eyes still focusing on the paper he’s holding.  

“Zitao went here just a few minutes ago,” Chanyeol starts, and Chief Kim just hums as an answer, seemingly uninterested at whatever it is he’s about to say. Chanyeol pays no heed and continues, “It’s about Wu Yifan —”  

“About that…” Chief Kim says, and puts down the cup of coffee he’s holding, “It has been investigated.”  

“What?” Chanyeol says unbelievingly, his face painted with confusion, “It has?”  

“Yes,” Chief Kim answers, “It really was suicide.”  

“How? I mean,” Chanyeol doesn’t know what to say. He was just talking to Zitao a while ago and has managed to gain some important information (really important, especially for Chanyeol), and he’s sure it can lead to something else other than suicide, “But you said… he was the last person you thought that would do this… what? How? _Why?_ ” he asks, and for once, he doesn’t try to filter out anything that’s coming out of his mouth. How can he even try to when the Chief himself is saying something he doesn’t even want to believe into? All that he wants to do is to express how important the case is, how it can lead to serious issues that they have to thoroughly investigate instead of just doing a mere investigation without even giving too much of a thought in it.  

He hears Chief Kim sigh, “That doesn’t mean he’ll never do it.” he answers and shakes his head, “I’ve been with the investigating team a while ago, and it has been proven that it was suicide. Why dig deeper about it when it’s point-blank?”  

“But… doesn’t an investigation take  _for days_? Months—no— _years_  even! So, how can we just say that it’s all what we see?” Chanyeol answers back, and Chief Kim just looks at him indifferently. It infuriates Chanyeol how they should just give up like that when they could’ve tried to know more about it. Were they also like this 10 years ago? If yes, then Chanyeol now knows why they never found the missing kids. Hell, now he knows why nothing is happening! He’s fuming right now, and if the Chief spurts out more nonsense, he doesn’t know how he’ll be able to handle it.  

He respects the Chief, but if it will always be like this, he thinks it would be better to keep his mouth shut to not cause any mess, and start working by himself.  

“It’s a closed case already, Officer Park. I hope you won’t try to know more about it behind my back.” Chief Kim replies calmly, like he doesn’t care about Chanyeol’s minor outburst. This time, Chanyeol tries to shut himself up and opt to not say anything. He still needs his job, and if he wants to maintain it, he needs to learn how to control whatever it is that’s coming out of his mouth. Chanyeol just nods at him, and Chief Kim looks at his paper again, “You should go, Park. There’s not much to do. Maybe you should get some air outside. I’m letting you do it. You can even take Officer Kim with you, if you want to.” Chief Kim suggests, and Chanyeol just bows as an answer. He stands up and quietly makes his way out of the office, annoyed yet determined to do exactly the opposite of what the Chief said— he’ll know more about it behind his back, but first he has to know more about the other cases that’s running in his mind, and he just hopes that everything is connected.  

Maybe he really needs to get some fresh air. Or maybe he should go back to his cabin and get some answers from the person he’s been trying to interrogate since last night.   

“So, what did he say?” Jongdae asks when he sees Chanyeol coming out from Chief Kim’s office, “Are we not jobless now? Are we assigned to do something already?” he asks excitedly, and Chanyeol doesn’t want to burst his bubble, but what else can he do besides tell him the truth?  

“No,” Chanyeol answers, and Jongdae frowns at that, “Chief said everything has been investigated. Apparently, it was really suicide…”  

“Do you honestly believe that?” Jongdae whispers to him. Chanyeol looks at him and shook his head. Jongdae frowns, “What the hell?”  

“Well, Chief says I should probably go have a break, and you can come with me,” Chanyeol says, walking towards his desk to get some of the things that would be essential for his short break, “I’m not going to ask you to come with me, but if you want to have a break, you can do so. Chief says we don’t have much to do, anyway. I mean, after what he just said, is not having anything to do even new?” he rants.   

“Are you going to leave just like that? You won’t even try to press on the issue?” Jongdae asks, frowning. Chanyeol just nods at him and walks toward the door, “Don’t we have the same thoughts about this?”   

“We do, I think.” Chanyeol answers, his hands playing with his keys, making it jiggle with noise, “But we need to have a strong evidence, and that’s what I’m about to do. So, why not keep your mouth shut with whatever it is that I’m about to do and then I’ll update you about it.”  

Jongdae doesn’t get to answer Chanyeol because after he says that, he opens the door and proceeds to walk to his car, leaving a confused Jongdae behind.  

 

 

 

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol calls out as he opens the door of his cabin. No one answers him, and he’s slightly nervous about it. The lights were out, and even if he tries to switch it on, it won’t work. It was suddenly too dark in his usually lighted cabin, “Baekhyun!?”  

He roams his eyes around the living room, and doesn’t see anyone. He walks slowly towards the kitchen, warily, thinking that maybe Baekhyun thought of drastic plans just to escape him. What if he kills him? What if he kills  _himself_? He needs to be sure. He slowly opens the door to his kitchen, and much to his dismay (and relief), there’s no Baekhyun staying in there.  _Where the hell is he?_

By now, he’s thinking that maybe Baekhyun did try to escape, and he’s sure as hell he won’t be able to find him. The last place he hasn’t gone to was his room, and if Baekhyun still wasn’t in there, then he’s back to square one where he doesn’t have any leads for his lifetime assignment.  

“Baekhyun —” he suddenly stops talking when a figure runs to him, engulfing him in a tight embrace. Before he can even react and push the person away and tackle him, he hears sobs coming from the one that hugged him. “Baekhyun?”  

“Dark,” Baekhyun answers, his hands scratching the back of his uniform as he tries to grip it tightly as if asking for some security, “Dark,” he says again and Chanyeol tries to calm him down by rubbing his back, offering him some warmth that he hopes is working. He just hopes that Baekhyun didn’t try to hurt himself again, like the ones that he did the first time he saw him.   

After a few minutes, Baekhyun seems to calm down and his grip on his uniform loosens. Chanyeol looks at him, his brows furrowed, “What happened in here?” he asks, noticing how every light in the room doesn’t seem to work.   

“Dark,” Baekhyun answers, and Chanyeol’s honestly not sure how to understand it. Well, he knows it’s dark, but is he implying something else? “There. Dark.”  

“Where?”  

“There,” Baekhyun answers, “Monster. Dark side.”  

“Monster?” Chanyeol asks, curious. Baekhyun doesn’t talk after that, sits on his bed, and closes his eyes, concentrating. And Chanyeol’s confused with whatever it is that Baekhyun’s doing. Is he going to sleep in that way? Is he a robot that has been recently invented in the Hawkins National Laboratory, and has some defects that’s why it can rebel? Chanyeol knows that the Hawkins National Laboratory has some advanced technologies, but he didn’t know it was _that_  advanced.  

And what is this about monsters? Should he even believe that or it’s something some crazy man makes up?   

Before Chanyeol can even ask, the lights were suddenly back, and it surprises Chanyeol that he has to squint his eyes for a while to adjust to the sudden brightness. He looks at Baekhyun who still has his eyes closed. Chanyeol wonders if he really is sleeping, so he makes a step forward to check, but then something strange happened — something he never knew was possible, and he faintly Baekhyun whisper, “Light.” but Chanyeol’s attention wasn’t on that, instead his attention was fully on Baekhyun, because how can he not when Baekhyun is  _literally_  glowing?  

Everything happened too quickly, and before Chanyeol can even fully register what the hell is happening, Baekhyun faints, and the light in his room is suddenly gone, taken by Baekhyun who’s lying on his bed.  

Shouldn’t he be the one who’s fainting and not the other way around? Chanyeol doesn’t know. Chanyeol doesn’t think he knows anything else after everything that’s happening.   

 

 

  ** _Hawkins National Laboratory, 1992_**

 

 _“Put him in his cell,” the man said coldly, and he pales as soon as he hears it, “Tomorrow is his final testing, and let us see if this failure can even regain himself. Maybe by then he'll not change the way he acts.”_   

 _He knows he can’t do anything else, that at this point, it was only him who could help himself. The grip on his wrist wasn’t new, and by now, he has ran out of energy trying to struggle out of his grasp. After all the running he has done, all the drug they think they have injected in him, they would’ve thought that they would successfully conquer his mind, like the other ones who were too weak to even try. He knows he will succeed if he tries even more. If he shows that he was a failure, they would throw him again and they wouldn’t know what his plans are. All should go according to his plan — to his act, and he’s just a few more steps towards it._   

 _With his remaining strength, he tugs his arms out of the man’s grasp, and it seems that the man was expecting it already._ Good _, he thought. He struggles a bit more, attempting to reach out for the clipboard the man was holding. There were numerous instances wherein they did something in that clipboard. Something in there was important, and he needs to know what it is. The man looks puzzled for a second, but he resumes on forcefully dragging him towards his cell. He needs another plan. He tries to act more, brutally and harmfully, he bites his captor’s wrist and the man groans in pain and struggles out of his bite but he doesn’t stop. His nails were digging in his skin, surely, it would bruise and he can already taste blood from how hard his teeth were digging into his skin. The man struggles, and before he could even retract himself, he gets slapped by the clipboard he was holding, its end poking his eyes, and he can’t help yelping from pain, “Good for you, you crackhead.” the man says, laughing, while his grip stays on his wrist, not even trying to cure his bruised wrist._   

 _They were near his cell, and it’s his last attempt to try and get the important files from him. He’s sure that whatever is in there, he needs it. He would need it if he wants to save himself from this hell he’s in._   

 _The usual thing that the men do to him once they arrive in his cell was to throw him on the floor, like a sack of rice that they’ve been carrying all around. It’s what he’s expecting, and he prepared himself for it. And if all goes well in his plan, he would be able to get what he wants before he could even leave his cell._   

 _He rubs his poked eye, trying to ease the pain. If he wants to do it, he has to be in condition to do so. And having an infected eye will not help him._   

_The man just smirks and lets his guard down as he checks his condition. They were alone in the room. It’s the best time to do all of his plans. He tries to catch his eyes, and once he does, the man looks enthralled, dazed as he focuses on the thought of commanding him to give the clipboard to him. The man proceeds to do it, gives the clipboard calmly before he rips out the paper from it. The man was already looking at him, his mouth agape, and he smirks, knowing well that it isn’t the first time that he had seen such face when the ones from the laboratory observe him._

_He crumples the paper and puts it to the side of his dress. He looks at the man again and thinks of how he should forget all of these as if it never happened. And a few noises from him breaks the man out of his trance._

_The man looks at him, confused, then he turns his back on him, “What a failure.” he says._  

_He doesn’t listen to it because he is anything but. If he was a failure, he wouldn’t have fully grasped his power without their help._

_It was their mistake that they never knew what his power was — that they never knew what he was capable of, because the first time he knew what he could do, they were the first ones he tried to control. They thought that his body was rejecting anything that they inject to him, that his body was rejecting anything that they force him to drink, but no, because the first time they did so, it worked. He was just fast enough to know it. He let them do it twice, and they didn’t know he got stronger with that — that he has other powers that they do not know of._   

_All was going according to his plan, and he can’t fail now. Not when everything was on his grasp, and the only thing that he has to do is risk himself on the dark side._

_When the man was already out of his sight and has already locked his door from the outside, he takes out the crumpled paper and sees his picture on the side._ Patient 004 Profile,  _it says._ 004,  _the name he had been hearing the moment he gained consciousness in the laboratory 10 years ago. He wants to laugh in mockery because_ finally,  _he has a name that he can use to address himself besides the godforsaken_ 004.

**PATIENT 004 PERSONAL PROFILE**

Name: Byun Baekhyun [변백현]

Power: Unidentified

Observation: Continuous failures. No hint of power.

 _He wants to laugh, to cry in happiness, because he finally remembers something about him._  

_His name was Byun Baekhyun and his power is definitely more than what they know, if they know anything that is._

 

 •—•

 


	3. Unknown

**CHAPTER THREE: Unknown**   

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

 

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be able to go back,” Chanyeol says on the phone, “Something happened in my cabin. I need to fix it as soon as possible.”  

“Just say you saw someone on the way home and you want to fuck them into the oblivion,” Jongdae answers, cackling.   

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, “That’s not it, you asshole. Get back to work and update me if there’s anything that we have to do, not like there’s any, but just in case there will be a miracle or something.”  

“Copy that,” Jongdae answers and Chanyeol hears the station’s door ringing, “Hold on a sec. Yixing’s here.”  

“What’s he gonna complain about? His bouquet of sunflower getting missing again or something?”   

“I hope not. Anyways, I’ll contact you if there’s anything that the Chief wants us to do,” Jongdae says, and Chanyeol just answers with a hum and was about to drop the call when he hears Jongdae laugh, “Have to go now. Yixing’s waiting. Enjoy having a good fuck and tell me about it sometime.”  

“I’m not —” Chanyeol stops when Jongdae drops the call. He sighs, putting down the telephone and brushes his hair out of habit.   

He enters his kitchen to prepare food, mostly as a chance to ponder on what’s happening in his life as of now. He’s no overreacting guy, neither is he a person who tends to exaggerate things, but the recent events that’s happening in his life is making him think that each of his day will get worse as it passes. All of which anything related to the man who’s currently sleeping peacefully on his room.  

Chanyeol truthfully doesn’t know what happened. One minute, Baekhyun was sobbing on his shirt, then he’s glowing, and the next thing he knows, he was lying on his bed, peacefully sleeping as if nothing happened. He’s sure he isn’t hallucinating, that everything that he just saw was too real to be even called as a product of his imagination.   

It has been an hour since that time he saw Baekhyun literally glow, and he’s not going to deny that he’s curious, and slightly afraid of who Baekhyun truly is. It was obvious that he wasn’t a normal person, glowing brightly in front of him doesn’t take a genius to know that. But Chanyeol has a lot of questions that he wants to know. Was it because of his powers that he was being kept in the laboratory? Was he harmful, that’s why he can’t be known by other people? But how come Baekhyun knows who his sister is, if that’s the case? His sister doesn’t have any power, that he knows, but Baekhyun has and by some way, he knows his sister that means he met her, if for sure, in the same place that Baekhyun was from.  

Chanyeol groans in frustration. He uncaps the bottle of his jam, spreading it on his bread as he overthinks things. He  _needs_  to know  _everything_. And he wants to know it  _now_. He can go on with so much more questions, and the only way he would get his desired answer was through the man who has caused sparked Chanyeol’s curiosity: Baekhyun.  

He could get what he wants, know whatever answer that he wants if he forces him to, but knowing Baekhyun after last night, it’s easier said than done. Approaching him would lead to disaster if he tries to act without thinking. If he wants to know the answers to his questions, he has to be cautious. It is hard for Chanyeol to act in such, given that he acts first before he thinks, but for now it has to be different, and Chanyeol has to find some other way to gain Baekhyun’s trust.   

He munches his bread as he thinks deeply of how to go about his plan. He doesn’t know much about Baekhyun, besides the fact that he was from the laboratory, he knows his sister, and that he has abilities that no normal man has. All of which are important, but it would not exactly help him in trying to bribe Baekhyun to go in his trap.  _What else would he possibly like?_  Chanyeol asks himself. He can go to the market and look for one, but it was too risky to leave Baekhyun alone after showing him something that could potentially harm him. Baekhyun can leave out of panic and fear if he knew that Chanyeol gave him the opportunity to do so by leaving his household. So, going to the market was out of his option.   

He could give him more clothes, but… Chanyeol thinking it’s not something Baekhyun will appreciate. But, isn’t giving him a temporary home enough for Baekhyun to trust him? He hasn’t called on any official, any cop for that matter ( _You_ are _a cop_ , he thought and mentally slaps himself for that), or any person from the laboratory to update them about the missing patient. He even gave him clothes last night, food even, that he’s sure Baekhyun really liked, considering the way he reacted while eating was enough for him to conclude that he likes peanut butter just as much —  _Peanut butter!_   

It’s a eureka for Chanyeol.  _Peanut butter,_ of course. It is probably the only not-so-strange thing that he knows Baekhyun likes. Now, the only thing he has to worry about in his plan was whether he still has peanut butter or not. He’s quite sure that he gave his last stock of peanut butter to Baekhyun, and judging by the open container near his sink, his peanut butter is already gone. Still, he wants to try his luck.  

He rummages his cabinet, desperately hoping that he still has one stock of peanut butter left. It was full of other jams that he has yet to open, and he can’t see a single peanut butter-like container. By now, he’s starting to think of other plans, which is hard to think of because he really can’t think of any other way. The most that he can think of is to go to the market, which he still can’t risk to do if he wants to keep Baekhyun for himself. He removes every container in his cabinet, desperate, and not losing hope as he checks every name of the container he has. He was beginning to lose hope (all because of a peanut butter!) when he sees that there’s one container left, and as if the angels were singing hallelujah in his head because lo and behold, the last of his container was his last month’s stock of peanut butter that he thought he lost. If this is what Baekhyun felt like when he first ate his peanut butter, then he knows exactly how it feels — like he’s about to cry from relief and happiness.   

He just hopes that he didn’t disturb Baekhyun from the all the ruckus that he did. He still has a tower of peanut butter sandwiches that he has to do, and the most that he can do is hope that it will work.   

 

 

 

He doesn’t wait long because a few minutes after making his supposed bribe for Baekhyun, he hears light footsteps getting nearer to his direction. He sits on his stool, and patiently waits for Baekhyun to look for him. His plan was to give Baekhyun the sandwiches he made, and ask him calmly of whatever it is that he’s keeping from him. Chanyeol feels like he’s babysitting a kid, and he’s giving everything that the kid wants to prevent him from crying. Except, Baekhyun is not a baby and he’s far from it. For all he knows, maybe Baekhyun is stronger than him, and he can leave Chanyeol to rot in the side or something.  

He sees Baekhyun’s eyes widen when his eyes meet his. Chanyeol smiles at him, his lips pursed in a thin line with his hands clasped on top of the table, waiting for him like a creep. Baekhyun stays rooted in his spot, his mouth slightly parted as he stares at Chanyeol who’s silently hoping that Baekhyun won’t be too weirded out.   

Chanyeol takes the chance to break the silence, “Hey, Baekhyun…”   

At that, Baekhyun looks away, fear evident in his face, and proceeds to walk in another direction — to Chanyeol’s door. Chanyeol immediately stands up at that, and he’s lucky that Baekhyun didn’t choose to run, “Wait! Where are you going!?”  

Chanyeol blocks Baekhyun’s way, and Baekhyun has no choice but to look up and stare at Chanyeol who’s peering down at him. Baekhyun doesn’t answer, and steps to his side and tries to evade Chanyeol, but Chanyeol does the same, and it’s like they’re playing with the way they are acting, “You know you can’t go, right? They’re still looking for you.” Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun looks at him at that, waiting for him to continue, “The bad people, Baekhyun. They’re still looking for you.”  

Baekhyun continues to stare at him, his brows furrowed, and Chanyeol continues, “And besides… the people here… they won’t understand if they see your… your abilities, you know?” At that, Baekhyun visibly pales, his mind remembering the fact that he showed Chanyeol his vulnerable state,  _his true self_ , despite not trusting him just enough. He did mean to show it to him, but fainting from exhaustion was not part of it. Chanyeol sees how Baekhyun’s expression falls, and he laughs nervously, “Oh, no! No! I won’t call the people in the laboratory. I completely understand your situation — I mean, I don’t, but I was hoping that you would make me understand. I’ll be as understanding as I can, I swear. You don’t have to run off. I’m willing to help you if you’d let me…” he rambles. Baekhyun looks at him, his brows furrowed as he listens to every word that he’s saying. Chanyeol thought that Baekhyun’s expression was like that because he was having a hard time in comprehending whatever it is that he’s saying, and Chanyeol was going to repeat everything word per word to make him understand, just like how parents teach their kids on how to talk, and all that, but Baekhyun beats him to it.  

Baekhyun shook his head, “Out.”  

“What?” Chanyeol asks disbelievingly. Was Baekhyun asking him to go out of his own house? That’s just absurd.   

“Peanut butter,” Baekhyun shyly whispers, “Want peanut butter. Hungry.”  

Chanyeol laughs at that, “You want to go out? All for a peanut butter?” Chanyeol asks to which Baekhyun nods at, “Even if it’s risking your safety?” he asks again, and Baekhyun answers by staring at him, his eyes screaming  _yes_. Chanyeol genuinely laughs at that, because how can he not when Baekhyun’s really acting like a child, as if risking every chance he can have as long as he gets one more cookie despite his mom preventing him to.  

“Baekhyun, you don’t have to,” Chanyeol says. Baekhyun furrows his brows, confused, because he’s sure that the last peanut butter he ate was already empty after eating too much of it while he was waiting for Chanyeol to come back, “I prepared one for you already. Come on. Let’s go.” he says, turning his heel to the direction of his kitchen, and Baekhyun follows him silently. Chanyeol doesn’t see the small smile etched on Baekhyun’s face.   

Baekhyun sees the peanut butter sandwiches on the table, and he feels the sudden urge to eat it in one go, but he stops himself, his instincts still not willing to trust his captor. Chanyeol sits on a stool and looks at Baekhyun, “What are you waiting for? Eat.” he says, and breaks out a smile that could rival Baekhyun’s light. He slowly makes his way to the opposite stool, with Chanyeol openly scrutinizing every bit of his move, “I made it from the bottom of my heart.” he says, and laughs.   

The way Chanyeol was acting somehow scares Baekhyun. It was just like how those bastards act whenever they’re about to do something to him. He doesn’t want to suspect his captor, but it’s hard to do so when the man in front of him continues to openly stare at him, watching every move that he’s doing. Baekhyun hands were already on the sandwich, excited to eat, but he stops as he throws a questioning look to Chanyeol, “Poison?” he asks.  

Chanyeol gives him a confused look, “What? No!”  

“Drug?”  

“No! Is that what you think of me?” Chanyeol asks, a hint of disappointment evident in his voice.  

Baekhyun pays no heed at that, “Eat,” he says, and Chanyeol looks at him, brows drawn together. “Eat,” he repeats, handing a sandwich to Chanyeol. Chanyeol accepts it with confusion, but nonetheless eats it, silently munching the peanut butter sandwich. Baekhyun looks at him, waiting for him to swallow what he’s eating before actually accepting his captor’s offer of peanut butter.   

When Chanyeol swallows his first bite, he looks at Baekhyun and gives him a thumbs up, “It’s good.” he says, and continues to eat the remaining of his sandwich. Seeing that Chanyeol isn’t dying or anything, and he hasn’t seen side effects that he has seen in the laboratory, Baekhyun takes it as a go to eat his. Chanyeol smiles when he sees Baekhyun grabbing a piece, his frail hands carefully picking up the sandwich as if it’s the most precious thing he has seen.   

“Ah, can’t believe you thought I’d drug you or something,” Chanyeol says, lightening up the mood. Baekhyun looks at him for a second before getting another sandwich. Chanyeol doesn’t know what else to say, and continues to look at Baekhyun who’s busy eating his sandwich. He didn’t expect him to even check whether he put some substance into his food. Usually, people just accept it. Baekhyun was different. Different as a whole. And Chanyeol admits that it was smart of him to question him before accepting it.  

He takes this as a chance to think of a way on how to open the topic and ask questions about everything that he wants to know. He hopes it would be easier than yesterday. Besides, Chanyeol thinks Baekhyun’s slowly lowering down his walls, at least that’s what he thinks, judging by the way he reacted when he mentioned about his abilities. He takes note of the fact that he  _only_  paled at the mention of it, not run away out of fear.   

“Hey, Baek,” Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun looks at him, confused, “I can call you Baek, right?”   

“Baek?”  

“Yeah, a nickname. And maybe you can call me Chan or Yeol, whichever you prefer. I won’t mind… if that’s how you’ll consider me as a friend,” Chanyeol says, because it’s true. If he wants to get Baekhyun’s trust, he has to be a  _friend_  to him, someone he can trust and rely to when it gets too hard — at least if they reach to that point of relationship.  

“Friend?” Baekhyun asks, dropping the last bit of his sandwich on his plate.  

Chanyeol nods, “Yeah, a friend! Don’t you want to have one? I can give you peanut butter… I can even make you one anytime you want to, well at least when I’m home, but yeah, that’s it. I’m a friend. You can trust me. I promise you that.”  

Baekhyun scrunches his nose, “Promise?”  

“Yeah, I promise,” Chanyeol says reassuringly, “And when I promise, I don’t break them. So, I promise that you can trust me,” he says and smiles. Baekhyun just looks at him, an eyebrow arched, “And that I can give you peanut butter sandwich anytime if you want me to.” Chanyeol adds, and grins at him. Baekhyun looks away once Chanyeol does so, missing the glint in Chanyeol’s eyes.  

Chanyeol knows he has won him over, that Baekhyun trusts him, maybe not completely, but it’s on the way, and that’s all Chanyeol needs to make his plans succeed. But right now, what he needs to do is slowly ask questions to Baekhyun and try not to trigger him.   

Right after Baekhyun finishes the last of his sandwich, Chanyeol pushes a glass of water towards him. Baekhyun quietly accepts it and drinks it in one go. Chanyeol clears his throat as an attempt to gain Baekhyun’s attention, “So…”  

Baekhyun looks at him expectantly, and Chanyeol fidgets nervously on his seat. He looks around and realizes that he should’ve kept all the sharp objects that can be seen in his kitchen, just in case Baekhyun tries to hurt himself again… not that he expects him to, but at least to be ready of what may happen.   

“Since we’ve established being friends…” he starts, looking elsewhere to avoid Baekhyun’s heavy gaze on him, “Why don’t we try to get to know each other? Like, I’ll ask you questions, then you’ll ask me one too, and all those things kids do in school when they try to get to know each other, or some sort.” he says, and chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck, a habit he does when he knows he’s in a so-so situation. Baekhyun just looks at him, and Chanyeol’s smile falters, “You know, for me, silence means yes.” he says, trying to sound confident.   

Chanyeol thought that by that, Baekhyun would mutter a simple no, but to his surprise, Baekhyun’s lips remains pursed as he continues to stare at him. It’s either he’s waiting for him to ask something then he’ll answer, or he’ll leave Chanyeol hanging by ignoring whatever question he throws at him.  

“So, Baekhyun, where are you from?” Chanyeol asks. He mentally slaps himself with the question, because really, of all the things he could ask, he starts with that? He already knows he came from the laboratory. He should’ve been clear with his question, “That was a dumb one. I meant to say, do you have any other place to go to besides the Hawkins National Laboratory? Any home before that?” he asks, and Baekhyun just shrugs.  _So much for an answer_ , Chanyeol thought, “Well, it’s your turn to ask now. Fire away.”  

Baekhyun simply looks at him with the same bored look he’s been sporting from a while ago. Chanyeol chuckles uncomfortably, “I’m guessing you’re not that interested in my life, huh?” he says, and Baekhyun just tilts his head and stares directly at Chanyeol’s eyes, waiting for him to say whatever nonsense he has in his mind.  

“Well, I’m interested in  _your_  life, so I hope you’ll answer me,” Chanyeol says, hopeful and confident. Baekhyun was looking at him in the same way, and Chanyeol feels uneasy because of that. If he’s not mistaken, Baekhyun is the only person that can make him feel this way with just one stare. He sighs and asks, “Why are you running away, Baekhyun?”  

Baekhyun parts his lips, attempting to answer but nothing comes out of his mouth. Instead, he looks down and avoids Chanyeol’s gaze.   

“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” Chanyeol asks, his gaze on Baekhyun never leaving. Baekhyun nods, still avoiding Chanyeol’s intense gaze. “From who? The people in the laboratory?” he asks, and Baekhyun nods again. Chanyeol’s glad that he’s slowly getting answers, even if it’s not much, “Were they the ones who did this to you?” Chanyeol asks, pointing at every bruise and scar he has in Baekhyun’s body. Chanyeol was expecting a nod from him, but Baekhyun shook his head and hides his arm on his back, “Then who did?” he asks, confused. If the people in the laboratory weren’t the ones who did this, then does that mean Baekhyun encountered other people who hurt him? Every answer is another question, Chanyeol realizes.   

Baekhyun points himself, “Me.”  

Chanyeol’s eyes round in shock, “What? Why? Why would you even—“ he formulates, but he can’t seem to find the right words. He knows Baekhyun has the tendency to hurt himself, at least that’s what he can conclude from what happened last night, but he didn’t expect that he can hurt his whole body like that, with bruises and scars that have yet to heal. Now that Chanyeol thinks about it, if he looks closely, Baekhyun has a bump in his head, maybe from all the hitting he does, “I don’t understand.  _Why?”_   

Baekhyun shook his head. Chanyeol looks at him confusedly.  _Guess I have to make this the hard way,_ Chanyeol thought and calculates the risk of triggering something on Baekhyun, and deems it as worth it if he’s going to get some decent and not-so-vague answers, “You know, if you’re going to keep on answering me like that, I really think I should call someone about you. You’re a missing person right now, and I’d like to believe they’re concerned as to where you are—“  

“No.” Baekhyun says curtly, his gaze back on Chanyeol, hard and stern, as if he wants Chanyeol to follow his command.  

“No?” Chanyeol asks, and arches a brow, “Why not? You’re not my responsibility, and you are theirs—“  

“No.” Baekhyun says again, and Chanyeol shuts up when he sees Baekhyun glaring at him again, “Bad. Deadly. Monster.”  

“Are they really?” Chanyeol asks, and Baekhyun nods with all seriousness.   

“They kill.  _Boom._ ” he says, “You understand?”

Chanyeol nods, because how can he not understand when that’s what does for a living? Well, at least he doesn’t kill innocent people unlike the people in the laboratory— if his hunch was right — not like Wu Yifan’s death —“Were you at the Wu’s Diner yesterday?” he asks, remembering all the fiasco a while ago. He needs to confirm this. He knows that if Baekhyun really was there, then he knows the whole thing.  

Baekhyun’s eyes looked at him guiltily, “Dead.”  

“Did you do it?”   

“No!” Baekhyun answers, his lips quivering upon remembering how Yifan’s body has been shot by the people in the laboratory. They did it mercilessly, as if he’s just a garbage waiting to be disposed. The first thing they did when they entered the empty diner was shot him, and just like that they immediately looked for him and attempted to cage him, but he was lucky that they weren’t fast enough to do so, “Laboratory.”  

So, Chanyeol’s guesses were right— that it wasn’t suicide and someone privileged was the one who was able to commit the crime. He wants to report this to the Chief, given that Baekhyun himself is a true evidence, a strong witness of what happened, but he isn’t so sure whether the Chief would believe him once he presents Baekhyun to him. Besides, the Chief is helping the laboratory in looking for Baekhyun, and once he shows him to the Chief, then it’s done for the both of them. Probably for Baekhyun, but to Chanyeol, it could be a benefit. But Chanyeol needs Baekhyun, and he isn’t going to let go of Baekhyun just yet.  

“So, for short, you’re saying that we’re in danger—  _you’re_  in danger,” Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun nods at him, “But don’t you have any power? The glowing thing?” he asks, and Baekhyun looks at him funnily, as if he deems Chanyeol’s words as a joke, “What? Isn’t it true?”   

Baekhyun nods, “I —“ he stops when he hears a rustle from outside, and his instincts were to hide somewhere else. He looks at his sides nervously, standing up and alarming Chanyeol.   

“What? What is happening?” Chanyeol asks, standing up and moving closely to Baekhyun.   

Baekhyun moves towards the kitchen door, peeking behind it as he stares at Chanyeol’s front door. Chanyeol follows his lead, looking around confusedly, “What is it?” he whispers.  

Baekhyun points at his door, and as if on cue, someone knocks, and Baekhyun jumps out of panic. He holds onto Chanyeol’s arms as he hides behind his back, and Chanyeol looks at him, alarmed. Another knock startles the both of them, and Chanyeol looks at his door, hoping that the person behind it won’t choose to break it. He looks at Baekhyun and says, “We have to hide you.”   

He pulls Baekhyun towards his room, his grip on him tight as if he’s forcefully dragging him, like the ones that they did when he was in the laboratory. Chanyeol doesn’t notice Baekhyun’s fear and proceeds to push him towards his room, “Stay here. Don’t make any noise.” he says in the dark, and he doesn’t see Baekhyun looking at him with fear.  

Chanyeol closes the door, and Baekhyun is left in the dark, feeling suffocated all of a sudden at the idea of being stuck in the dark again. He can’t form any light— he’s still used up from whatever he did a while ago. And he can’t save himself from the dark, just like the first time he was stuck in it and the last time he ever stepped foot in it.  

 

**_Hawkins National Laboratory, 1992_ **

 

 _It was his last day in his cell. He knows he won’t miss the place that had made him a prison to the darkness. He promised himself that once he gets out of the place, he will never come back nor will he ever look back to this memory._  

_The silence in his room and the darkness it harbors feels the same way it did when he was in that world— the world of the Unknown, the world of the Upside Down. In these four walls, he had been caged, prohibited, and it felt like a chore for him to breathe. It was hard. He was drowning in the pits of darkness, and there’s no one there to save him, not even himself._

_Yet the fleeting thought that he’ll be able to get out, that he had an identity that he could mention to other people lifts him up. It was enough for him to hold on to something, to try and get past the monster that had been haunting him for 10 years._

_This was it. This is the last day that he would see himself in this darkness. He would never feel hopeless again once he sees the sun that he had been longing for the past few years._  

_Still, being stuck in the dark, isolated, alone, with no one to talk to, not a friend in sight, was something that had made him see the worst side of everything. It had given him the unending sadness, giving him more reasons to lose himself in his cell. He can't help his tears from falling from his eyes, realizing that the dark had been his only company, yet he never found home in it. He never will._

_That's why when he leaves this place, he knows he'll find his home._

 

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

 

Chanyeol marches towards his door, his chest pounding as he makes his way to it. The worst that he’s expecting is that the people in the laboratory have already found out that he was secretly hiding their patient. The person behind the door continues to rap his knuckles on it, and it makes Chanyeol nervous. With his duty belt still on him, and his pistol just in his reach, he hopes that it would be enough to protect himself just in case he arrives in the same fate as Wu.  

The knocks are insistent, and Chanyeol’s not sure if he should get annoyed with it or if he should be afraid. Whoever is behind his door is an impatient person, that he can identify, “Yeah, coming. Just a sec.” he says as he unlocks every lock he has in his door. Before he fully opens the door, he peeks and sees that no one was behind it. Chanyeol furrows his brows in confusion,  _what now? Is it a ghost?_  Chanyeol will not think twice in believing in ghosts, because it seems like anything is possible to happen now after every peculiar thing that’s happening in just a span of 2 days.  

Chanyeol closes his door, sighing, thinking that maybe it’s someone who’s pranking him.  _Yeah, that’s a more reasonable guess._  He was just about go to his bedroom and ask Baekhyun to come out, and assure him that it’s already safe to talk, when suddenly his door opens, and he hears a click of a gun. He forgot to lock the door.  _Goddamnit_.  He can’t see who it was, given that he has his back facing the door. Out of reflex, he raises his hands, waiting for the person to say the usual  _Don’t move_.   

“What took you so long?” the person behind him says, and Chanyeol lets out a breath of relief when he recognizes who it was, “Why are your hands up? And why is it so dim in here? Is this what you do to lure people you want to screw?”   

Chanyeol puts down his arms and faces the person, “Jongdae.”  

“What?” Jongdae says after looking around at Chanyeol’s dimmed house. He notices how Chanyeol looks pale, as if he was expecting his death or something, “What happened to you? Why do you look like you were preparing for death to come? Or do you look like that because you thought you’ll get caught doing the thing? You know it’s okay with me, right? I’m a very open-minded person.” Jongdae says, and laughs when Chanyeol simply rolls his eyes at him, “No, seriously. What took you so long?”  

“Nothing, I was…”  _I was hiding someone_ , “...taking a bathroom break.”  

“Gross. That’s too much information,” Jongdae answers, his face contorted.  

“You asked,” Chanyeol says and shrugs, “What are you even doing here?”  

Jongdae plops himself down on Chanyeol’s sofa, his legs place on top of his coffee table. Chanyeol was going to reprimand him but he stops when hears what Jongdae says,  “Chief mentioned to us a while ago about the missing patient.”

“Missing patient?” Chanyeol clarifies.   

“Yeah, the one that we were talking about that may be a big issue,” Jongdae says, leaning comfortably on Chanyeol’s sofa, “Well, it  _is_  a big issue. Chief Kim said not to mention it to anyone outside the station. So, I’m guessing they do not want the media to cause any attention about it.”  

“Maybe that is the reason. Why now, though?” Chanyeol asks, because if it’s an urgent situation, the Chief could’ve said something about it the minute the issue arise.  

“A bunch of scientists came into the station a while ago,” Jongdae says, “I think you not being inside the station can make lots of things happen,” he says, and he laughs when Chanyeol glares at him, “Anyways, they went there to talk to Chief, then after a few minutes, they went out then Chief talked to us about it. Chief said we’ll be having a search party later at Interwoods. They believe he has not gone far.” he explains, “And we’re part of the search team, so I came here to relay the message.”  

Chanyeol, in all his dedication to his work, doesn’t want to join. He doesn’t see the point in doing so, not when the person they will be looking for is already with him. He wants to decline, however it would seem suspicious if he doesn’t go for whatever reason. Jongdae notices Chanyeol’s inner conflict, “Why are you even considering not going? We finally have a job after so long.”  

“I suppose you’re right,” Chanyeol answers, agreeing to Jongdae’s reason, “What time will it happen?”  

“Around 19:15.” Jongdae replies, and Chanyeol nods, not knowing what else to say. Jongdae was about to stand up when he remembers something, “By the way, your mom was with them.”  

“What?” Chanyeol asks, surprised, “Why?”  

“I don’t know… but I forgot to say that the search that we’re about to do isn’t only because of the missing patient,” Jongdae says, his face serious as he stares at Chanyeol, “Your mother said your sister tried to contact her… and that the traces lead to the Hawkins National Laboratory. That’s why we’re going to look at every nook.” he explains, and Chanyeol keeps his mouth pursed, words unable to come out, and Jongdae notices this and makes this as his cue to leave. He was just about to say his goodbye, when he hears something drop, causing the both of them to look at the direction where it came from, “Is there someone else in here?”  

“No! What are you talking about?” Chanyeol quickly replies, and Jongdae looks at him with a brow arched. Chanyeol rolls his eyes, “It’s really nothing. You should go. I’ll go to the search later.”   

Thankfully, Jongdae seems to let it go, or so he thought, “Well, I’ll see you later, mate. Go enjoy your remaining break with whoever it is in your room.” he says, and winks at him. Chanyeol pushes him out and doesn’t pay any heed to Jongdae’s whining. Once Jongdae was out, he slams the door and locks it before striding towards the seat where Jongdae was formerly on.  

He still has to get Baekhyun and ask him about everything that he’s curious about, but he can’t help thinking about what Jongdae said. What does he mean by the fact that his Mom went to the station with them because of the fact that his sister contacted them? It didn’t seem possible for him, given the fact that his mother gave up looking for her that time when she went to the laboratory, when she felt that they could be hiding her sister.   

He still remembers that time he thought his mother was going crazy, holding onto any clue that would bring her to his sister. Every telephone ring, every sound of the piano resonating in her room, every unidentified footsteps— his mother thought that it was his sister doing it, that it was his sister trying to contact them from wherever she is. Every night before she fell asleep, he would hear her sing her favorite lullaby, the one she sings to the both of them before they went to sleep. One time, he saw her setting up another extra plate for food because she believed that her sister was the one who was eating their leftovers late at night. Chanyeol tried so hard to calm her down, to make her think that everything will be alright soon, but her mother didn’t listen. She even went to the laboratory that time she saw on the news that there has been speculations that the missing children were kidnapped by the people in the laboratory. It was the same time that the Hawkins National Laboratory was facing controversies about the missing children, that’s why his mother went there to check. She was determined to do so, and neither him nor his father could stop her. She went there, and all of them waited patiently for her to come back. When she came back home, something was different. She suddenly wasn’t interested, and kept mum and refused to talk about anything related to his sister.   

Just like that, his parents gave up, and he doesn’t even understand why.   

Looking back, he should’ve believed whatever strange things his mother told her. He should’ve believed it, because by then, he could’ve had a clue. He would probably be open to any idea of strange things that is happening in their town, and being with Baekhyun wouldn’t be so surprising for him. Yet here he is, starting to believe what he thought was impossible.  

He runs his hand through his hair, frustrated and confused. So much has been happening for two days, and it’s beginning to get hard for him to keep track of it. Baekhyun, Wu Yifan, his sister, the laboratory—so many cases yet there’s no apparent answers, besides Wu Yifan’s incident confirmed as a non-suicidal act. He groans, and stands up, making his way towards his bedroom. At least, if Baekhyun answers some of his questions (clearly), he would most probably have some leads, yet it would still not be enough.   

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol calls out in the dark room. He can’t see the place clearly, and he has to make out the different things inside his room to navigate around it. The light in the living room was not enough to reach his room. “Baekhyun?”  

Instead of Baekhyun coming to him, what he hears as a reply is a sob, a quiet sob not meant to be heard yet he did. He strides towards the direction of his bed, and there he sees Baekhyun’s shadow curled up, rocking himself as an attempt to calm himself down, “Baek…”  

“Yeol…” Baekhyun mutters, and looks up to meet Chanyeol’s gaze, and there Chanyeol sees Baekhyun’s face illuminated in the dark, his eyes glistening with tears, his lips quivering, “Can’t. Dark.”  

“Come here,” he says, and lends his hand to him. Baekhyun accepts it, and Chanyeol pulls him to his chest, hugging him and rubbing his back to calm him down, “I’m sorry.” he says, and Baekhyun just hugs him tighter, his chest heaving up and down as he tries to stop his tears from falling.   

Chanyeol doesn’t know what’s running on Baekhyun’s mind, nor will he ever know, but he at least hopes that his small gesture would help in calming him down. And even if he wants to ask Baekhyun, he’s sure that he won’t be getting his desired answers tonight. No matter how much he wants to know, no matter how urgent it is, he has no choice but to understand Baekhyun’s situation.  

 

 

 

“Did you see anything?” Jongdae asks when spots Chanyeol look in a small tunnel. Chanyeol shook his head, and continued to look around, “Are we even looking for something?” Jongdae asks to himself, but Chanyeol hears it.  

 _No_ , Chanyeol wants to say. He wants to say that what they were doing is pointless, that the missing patient is with him in his cabin, waiting for him to come back because he said so. He remembered that before he left, Baekhyun was following him, as if he wants to go with Chanyeol, but Chanyeol insisted that he has to stay because it wasn’t safe for him to come with him. He was with the people he has to stray away, and he can’t afford getting Baekhyun seen by them. So, Chanyeol promised him that he’ll come back as soon as he can, along with some peanut butter that he can get from the market. He even fixed the lights for him, just to calm him down.   

The only reason why he went to this stupid search party was because of his sister. He wants to believe what his mother said— that his sister tried to contact them, in whatever medium she could. He wants to cling onto that hope. Even if it wasn’t clear how it happened, he wants to believe that his sister is just around them, lurking. He knows Baekhyun knows where she is, but he at least wants to try looking for her in this so-called search party. For all he knows, they’re just doing this to calm his mother down, to give her some peace.   

“Mother,” Chanyeol calls when he sees the back of his mother. His mother looks at him, her face void of any emotion as she grips on her flashlight, “Have you seen anything? Any traces?” he asks. His mother shook his head and looks away, proceeding to another direction, leaving Chanyeol alone. Chanyeol sighs and moves to another direction.  

His mother refused to talk ever since that day in 1982. He doesn’t know why and what happened, but he just hopes that it isn’t because of the fact that she went to the laboratory, and they did something to her there. His trust to the people in the laboratory is growing less and less every time he discovers something bad about them.   

He hears a rustle behind him, and his head instantly snaps to its direction. He slowly walks towards it, cautious and wary of his surroundings. It could be an animal, a raccoon or something. It could be his imagination, or maybe, if it’s his lucky day, it’s his sister who’s currently hiding behind a bush. He rushes towards it, his hand gripping on his flashlight and pointing to its direction. He can hear some shuffling, a movement of someone who’s trying to get out of being cornered. Chanyeol peeks down the bush, his flashlight pointing directly towards the person hiding behind it, and he gets a hard time determining who it is because the person was covering his face because of the light but when he removes it, Chanyeol almost drops his flashlight out of surprise, “Holy shit, Baek—“ he stops when he sees Baekhyun shaking his head, urging him to stop from talking.   

Chanyeol’s eyes were still round in shock, “What the hell are you doing here!?” he angrily whispers, “I told you to stay! It’s dangerous in here. They might see you!” he says, and Baekhyun remains shaking his head, hiding behind the bush. Chanyeol looks around, and he’s glad that he was in an isolated place, or else he doesn’t know how he’ll be able to hide Baekhyun, “How did you even get past the guards!?”  

Baekhyun just looks at him, fear evident in his eyes. “I’m telling you, they’ll see you! They’ll search every nook of this place. Fuck—“  

“Hey, Chanyeol! What are you doing here?” Jongdae asks, and Chanyeol snaps his head back towards his direction, covering the side where Baekhyun is. Jongdae tries to peek behind whatever Chanyeol is hiding, “Are you hiding something? Were you talking to someone awhile ago? I think I heard you cursing…”  

“Nothing, Jongdae. I wasn’t talking to anybody. Maybe it was from somewhere else. You know how it goes in here, it echoes…” Chanyeol lies smoothly, his left eye twitching as he tries to look at his peripheral vision. Jongdae looks like he wasn’t buying anything he was saying, and attempts to look behind him, but Chanyeol stops him by pushing him lightly, and holding him on his arm to move him away from the scene, “Really, Jongdae. It’s nothing. I was just taking a piss.” he excuses, and Jongdae looks at him in disgust.  

“Ew. You didn’t even wash your hand and yet you’re touching me,” he says, and pulls his arm out of Chanyeol’s grip. Chanyeol laughs at that, his tone void of any nervousness he’s feeling.  

“Listen, Jongdae, I don’t think I’ll be able to go on with the search,” he says, thinking of a valid excuse, “I think I need to continue my business in an actual bathroom, and the forest may look like a good idea, but I still have some proper hygiene in me. So, can you tell the Chief that I have to go?”  

“What will I say to him? That you have to go to the bathroom and that’s why you can’t continue?” Jongdae jokes, and Chanyeol glares at him. A loud rustle captures their attention, and Chanyeol freezes, knowing where it came from, while Jongdae instantly looks towards the direction where Baekhyun is, “Hey, what was that?”  

“What was what?” Chanyeol asks.  

“Didn’t you hear it?”  

“Hear what?”  

“I thought I heard something. I’m sure there’s something in that area…” Jongdae says, and strides toward the direction of it. Chanyeol knows that he can’t stop Jongdae by now, and he just hopes Baekhyun was smart enough to not stay in the same place after creating such loud noise. Chanyeol gulps, nervous that Jongdae might see him, and he’s sure Jongdae won’t hesitate to report it to the Chief if it does happen. By now, he’s thinking of excuses to tell to the Chief, in case Baekhyun puts him in trouble.

Chanyeol can see a fluff of black hair, and he panics, because he knows it’s Baekhyun who owns it. Jongdae was already near him, his flashlight pointing to Baekhyun’s direction, and he looks down, his brows furrowed as he moves his flashlight from left to right, as if he’s looking for something, “There’s nothing in here.” he says, still looking for something as he peers closely behind the bush.  

Chanyeol doesn’t understand what Jongdae is saying, because in his eyes, he can see Baekhyun staring directly at the light. Jongdae turns his back, and sighs, “I thought I finally caught something. It was just a raccoon.”  

“But—“ he was about to refute, but he sees Baekhyun shaking his head to his direction. Jongdae looks at him, waiting for him to continue what he was saying, “Yeah, it was… a raccoon.”  

“Eh. I thought so,” Jongdae says and shrugs, “Well, I’m off. I’ll tell Chief some valid excuse about your sudden disappearance. Hang in there, buddy.” Jongdae says, and pats Chanyeol’s butt. Chanyeol slaps Jongdae’s back and glares at him, and Jongdae just laughs as he moves away from him, waving his hand.  

When Jongdae was out of his sight, he looks back to Baekhyun’s direction. He sees him curled up, waiting for his return. Chanyeol looks around first, and checks if anyone was watching him. When he sees no one was, he returns his gaze to Baekhyun and says, “Get up. We’re going.”  

Baekhyun doesn’t hesitate on following him. His head lowered, and a hood was placed on his head. Chanyeol guesses it was his, judging how it was oversized and it hangs on his shoulder, “You have a lot of explaining to do.” he says, and Baekhyun’s gaze remains away from him, not afraid of whoever may see him. Chanyeol holds his arm, and forces him to face him, “ _A lot_.” he emphasizes, and Baekhyun pulls his arm out of Chanyeol’s grip and nods.  

And as they make their way to Chanyeol’s car, with the both of them too preoccupied and walking cautiously to avoid anyone who suspects them (or Chanyeol only), they do not notice someone’s gaze that has been watching them the moment they saw each other by the bush.  

 

 

 

The ride back home was quiet, with Chanyeol being the only one creating some noise as he continuously taps his fingers on his wheel as they glide on the empty streets of Hawkins. Baekhyun was sitting quietly next to him, his eyes glued outside the window, watching every place that they go pass by.   

As much as Chanyeol wants to ask whatever it is that’s going on in his head, he doesn’t know where to start. Whenever Baekhyun was with him, another question pops in his head, and a series of follow-up builds in his mind whenever he gets an answer. Baekhyun was a mystery that Chanyeol is having a hard time to unfold, a case that will turn cold if he doesn’t solve it immediately. He doesn’t even know where to start — with all the questions that he has in his mind even  _before_  what happened tonight.  

Should he start with asking him about who he truly is? Or should he start interrogating him about the whereabouts of his sister? But then, he was also curious as to  _how_  Jongdae can’t see him. Was he a ghost and Chanyeol was the only one who can see him? Chanyeol will go nuts if he doesn’t get an answer in any of those, particularly on the part whether if he’s the only one who can see Baekhyun. Because if it is true—that he’s the only one who can see Baekhyun—then he sure is nuts, and he isn’t exactly sure on how to handle that.    

When they reach his cabin, the first thing Baekhyun did was open his drawer and reveal his old pager. Chanyeol looks at him with confusion, “What are you doing with my old pager?”  

Baekhyun doesn’t answer him and instead, he tweaks it, pressing different buttons, and then it beeps like the usual that Chanyeol hears whenever he has an incoming message from his colleagues. Baekhyun shows it to him, and Chanyeol furrows his brows, not exactly getting Baekhyun’s point, “Yeah, it sounds like that when you have a message.” he says, and Baekhyun nods knowingly and proceeds to press another button, and this time, it beeps differently. Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun who’s staring intently at the pager. It was familiar—how the message was being passed—but Chanyeol can’t pinpoint where he knew it. It beeped in different sequences, a fast one and then a long one, then followed by others with the same sequence. He was sure he encountered it before, probably when he was learning a bunch of things regarding codes—  _codes_ , that was it, “Morse code?” he asks.  

Baekhyun nods, and lifts his gaze up towards Chanyeol when the beeping stops, “Three.”  

“What?” Chanyeol asks, his mouth parted in shock. By  _Three_ , did he mean Yoora? Was Yoora really trying to reach them? “My sister, Three? Is that what you mean?” Chanyeol asks, and Baekhyun nods. Chanyeol wants to curse out loud, because what his mother is saying is true. Yoora was trying to talk to them, and it was in a way that wasn’t easy to decipher, “What did she say?”  

“Help,” Baekhyun answers.  

“Help? Help from what? Is that all that she said? After all the beeping it did?” Chanyeol asks, and snatches the pages from Baekhyun. He tries to do what Baekhyun was doing a while ago, but it didn’t work, “Doesn’t this thing have any number in it? I’m sure it has to have a number, then we’ll be able to trace it.” Chanyeol says to himself, and Baekhyun just looks at him, “Come on, Baekhyun. Do something.” he urges, desperate to find any answer.  

“I… I can’t.” Baekhyun answers.  

“What do you mean you can’t? You have abilities,  _powers_ , that no normal man has! What do you mean you can’t even try to trace my sister so that I can help her wherever she is?” Chanyeol asks, his gaze intent as he stares directly at Baekhyun’s eyes. Baekhyun doesn’t answer him and proceeds to look away. It further infuriates Chanyeol, his frustration from yesterday piling up, clouding his mind and controlling whatever that comes out of his mouth, “What exactly are you, Baekhyun? Are you a ghost? Is that the reason why I’m the only one who can see you? Did you die from all the running away you did? But why am I the only one has the ability to see you? Am I nuts? Am I a crackhead?”  

“Crackhead?” Baekhyun asks.  

“It means a crazy person — fuck! That’s not the point!” he says. He wants to rip his head off, frustrated, confused, and every feelings he’s been trying to suppress were all in one appearing, “Tell me the truth. Who are you?”  

“Baekhyun?”  

Chanyeol looks at him, appalled at Baekhyun’s sarcastic reply, “You have got to be kidding me! You —“ he stops when he sees Baekhyun’s face, looking at him with an innocent look, and Chanyeol slaps his face at that, frustrated, because he can’t seem to let out what he wants to say when Baekhyun looks like that. He bites his bottom lip to prevent himself from saying something he might regret. He runs his hand through his hair, slightly pulling it, trying to lessen the frustration that’s building up in him, “Look, I just want to know who you really are and what else do I have to know. I’m starting to think I’m some crazy person. It has been, what, 1 or 2 days since I met you but I feel like it has been  _years_  from the amount of things that I’ve discovered. So, Baekhyun, care to enlighten me?”  

Baekhyun doesn’t answer for a while. With his eyes downcast, he tries to avoid Chanyeol’s intent gaze, but Chanyeol wasn’t up for any of those, so he puts a finger on Baekhyun’s chin, and tilts his head, forcing him to look up and meet his eyes, “Answer me.” he sternly says.   

Baekhyun removes his hand from his chin and sighs, “Hypnotize. Illusion. Light.” he whispers, and Chanyeol has to lean forward to hear it, “I’m sorry, what?” Chanyeol asks, and Baekhyun looks at him and repeats what he just said louder, “Hypnotizing. Illusion. Light. Power.”  

“So, it’s not just, you know, glowing?” Chanyeol clarifies, and Baekhyun shook his head, “Wow, okay. Knowing just that is enough to make my brain explode. So, how did you do it? With Jongdae? I mean, how come he can’t see you?”  

“Illusion,” Baekhyun answers, simple and short, like he was expecting Chanyeol to ask that.  

If a while ago, he thinks Baekhyun is a child, now he thinks _he_  is a child who’s asking his mother some stupid questions as to why such things exist. Suddenly, Chanyeol doesn’t feel like a 27-year old, and he’s back to being 5, the time when he doesn’t know a single shit about the world.   

Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun who looked at him with a bored expression, different with the way he was the night he met him and has caused some ruckus, “Yesterday, how come you’re so… different? Like you’re a person who’s easily triggered and can break any second?”  

“I am. I can.” Baekhyun answers, and Chanyeol looks at him confusedly for the nth time. Baekhyun sighs, “Hawthorne effect  _they_ said. Negative.”

“What?” Chanyeol asks, unsure, “What do you mean?”  

Baekhyun shook his head and avoids answering him. At this rate, Chanyeol doesn’t even care anymore. The only thoughts that were swimming in his head were  _power, Baekhyun, sister_. And it will become too much if more thoughts add up in his head. He needs to focus on one topic, or else he’ll explode with too much information.  

“My sister…” he starts, “Do you know where she is?” he asks. Baekhyun looks at him and nods. Chanyeol moves closer to him, “Where?”  

Baekhyun moves away from him and reaches for the map of Hawkins that’s placed on his board. He motions Chanyeol to move closer to him. When Chanyeol was just beside him, he points at where the Hawkins National Laboratory is, tapping it lightly, “There?” Chanyeol asks. Baekhyun shook his head and removes the map’s pins. He then places it back on the board in reverse, the back part of the map visible, void of any of the markings Chanyeol has done on his map. Baekhyun points at the same place where the Hawkins National Laboratory was located, and taps on it, “Here.”  

“There’s nothing there…” Chanyeol says. The only thing he can see was white, and nothing else. It was the back part of his map, so nothing else is to be expected from it.  

Baekhyun shook his head, and reaches for a marker from Chanyeol’s drawer, and tries to scribble on the back part of the map, filling it with black, then he shakily writes something on the side.  _Unknown_ , it says, “Upside down,” he mumbles. Then he writes  _3_  right beside it. He scribbles a bit more, and it seems like he was trying to draw an unidentified creature beside  _3_ , “Monster.”  

“So, what you’re telling me is that my sister is in ‘Unknown’” he air quotes, “And that some monster is there with her?” he clarifies, and Baekhyun nods at him, “That shouldn’t make any sense. I’ve never heard of Unknown, and it seems unreal, but then again, lots of things are not making any sense right now, and it seems like I have no choice but to believe what you’re saying is true.”  

“It is,” Baekhyun answers him, and the both of them hold an impromptu staring competition. For Chanyeol, it was a way for him to test whether what Baekhyun is saying is true. He doesn’t know why he’s even doubting him, when he’s literally the only person who’s given him a clear answer to his sister’s whereabouts.   

His hopes were rising, knowing that his sister was alive was something that he held onto for the day, but knowing where she was and that there’s a way for him to be able to go to her was enough for Chanyeol to become hopeful about it.   

He clears his throat and looks away from Baekhyun, “So, how do we help her? How do we go to this Unknown?” he asks, and Baekhyun shook his head. Chanyeol frowns, “What? Why not?”  

“No,” Baekhyun says curtly, his voice stern and cold, “Danger.”   

“I’m used to it,” Chanyeol says. Years of training for it, and years of anticipation for a mission that may make him risk his life was something that he was looking forward to. Besides, he was willing to risk everything just to save his sister, “I’m willing to risk everything, Baekhyun. Please.”  

“No,” Baekhyun says firmly. He turns his back to Chanyeol before he could even reply. Chanyeol follows him towards his bedroom, insistent on getting some information about wherever his sister is.  

“Baek, aren’t we friends?” Chanyeol asks, and Baekhyun stops in his tracks when he hears it, “Friends help each other when they need it. And right now, I’m asking you to help me. I’ve been looking for my sister for how many years already. I think it’s time for me to seek justice.” he says, and Baekhyun faces him, his brows furrowed, his lips pursed in a thin line, waiting for him to continue. Chanyeol sighs and says, “I just want to know where she is, and how I would be able to help her. You said her message meant ‘help’, and I can give her one if I knew how to. So please, tell me. Help a  _friend_  out.” he pleads.  

Baekhyun shook his head, “She is chained.” he replies, and Chanyeol looks lost, so he continues, “Trapped. In the dark.”  

“Isn’t there any way to go to her?” Chanyeol asks.  

“There is.”  

“What? So why are we not going there?”   

“Monster.” Baekhyun answers curtly, and he hopes it was enough for Chanyeol to stop insisting on going where her sister is. It wasn’t safe, and it will never be safe. Especially for a person like Chanyeol.  

Apparently it wasn’t enough, “Well, isn’t there a way for us to beat that ‘monster’ you’re saying? I’m sure there is.”  

Baekhyun sighs. Chanyeol was persistent, he doesn’t want to stop even if it’s physically impossible for him to be able to help her sister to be out in the dark. And even if Baekhyun wants to tell him the truth, he’s sure his captor won’t listen. So he focuses on answering his question, nods, and look directly into Chanyeol’s eyes, and says, “Light.”  

 

 

 

He knows his story will be big, and that it will cause different controversies. It could ruin their reputations. Not that he cares, in fact, it’s what he wants to achieve ever since day one. Not only will it be interesting, but it will be a way for him to gain some attention, to cause some danger he’s been trying to make for the past few years. With the missing patient who’s been on each of the head of scientists, this article of his would only give doubts to the laboratory, and even to the Hawkins Police Department. Sure, they’ll be able to find a lead as to where Patient 004 is, but he  _knows_  it won’t be easy for them. Based on what he saw last night, Patient 004 has abilities that can help him in escaping each one of them.  

He types the last of his article, and chuckles. Oh, he can’t wait to see what will happen once this gets published the next day. He proofreads the document before sending it to the head of the publishing company. He’s ready to see his article first thing in the morning, and all that he’ll be doing is sip his tea, and watch whatever unfolds with what he did.  

 ** _HAWKINS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND HAWKINS NATIONAL LABORATORY: ITS HIDDEN AGENDA_**   

 _Article by Kim Heechul_   

 _Welcome to your death, Park Chanyeol._   

 

 •—••

 


	4. The Rotten Garden

**CHAPTER FOUR: The Rotten Garden**   

 

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

 

Chanyeol was getting ready for work. He fixes his duty belt and looks at his appearance one last time in front of the mirror. He was all set. And all he has to do is leave.  

But there’s something stopping him, or rather,  _someone._   

“Baekhyun,” he says exasperatedly, “Just because you have some powers doesn’t mean I can just let you go with me whenever you want to. I know you proved yourself already but it’s too risky. Last night, you were just lucky that no one else saw you since it was dark and all. We can’t risk it. You said so yourself, it’s dangerous.”  

Baekhyun just looks at him, his bottom lip jutted out. Chanyeol looks away because Baekhyun is looking at him again like  _that_  and Chanyeol doesn’t know how to handle him when he’s looking at him in that way, “Don’t look at me like that.” he says, but Baekhyun continues doing it. He runs his hand through his hair and calculates the risk. It was too risky, even without considering other factors other than the Hawkins National Laboratory scientists, but as he looks at Baekhyun, who’s been giving him a pleading look, Chanyeol reconsiders, “Fine.” he says.  

He wants to punch himself for even considering it, but all of his worries vanishes when he sees Baekhyun’s small smile as he looks down.  

“We can’t let you go out with that look,” Chanyeol says and gives him a once over. It was too obvious that he is the same patient that’s been on the run for the past few days, “We should change something with the way you look…” he says, and thinks of something that would somehow change Baekhyun’s appearance. Baekhyun looks at him and tilts his head as Chanyeol stares at him.  

Chanyeol doesn’t have anything besides clothes that would somehow cover the bruises visible on Baekhyun’s skin. At one glance, he’ll be recognized by anyone who’s familiar with him. Chanyeol can’t think of any way that would somehow change how Baekhyun looks.  

Baekhyun scratches his head as he patiently waits for Chanyeol to analyze him. He realizes that Baekhyun could change it  _himself_ and that it won’t be too much of an effort for him to at least put a little something on him for him to not be recognized. However it may be too hard for him since he’ll be needing too much focus if he does something as such.  

Will changing his hairstyle work? Probably a shorter haircut would do. He wasn’t an expert with it but he has experience after trying to cut his own hair that time he got scolded for having a long one. Surely, it won’t be too hard to cut it shorter. He’ll be late if he gives him a haircut, but he guesses it’s worth it if it’s about Baekhyun’s safety.

“Why don’t we cut your hair shorter? There’s already a growing mullet there… I mean, you look nice in it but they’ll probably have a hard time identifying who you are if you change it,” Chanyeol says, brushing Baekhyun’s hair with his fingers. Baekhyun just nods and relaxes in Chanyeol’s touch, “I’ll be late but I’ll work on it.”

Chanyeol sighs, “The things I do for you, Baekhyun,” he mumbles, but Baekhyun hears it clearly and fights the urge to smile. Baekhyun follows Chanyeol as he makes his way to his cupboard, rummaging and looking for everything that would help him achieve his plan.  

Chanyeol thinks it would be better if they do their business in his bathroom, with the mirror and all, so Chanyeol leads him to it, bringing a stool. Baekhyun doesn’t oppose and just follow him.

Baekhyun was just sitting still in front of the mirror, waiting for Chanyeol to do something. He was feeling giddy inside, and kind of excited but he doesn’t show it.  

Chanyeol was brushing his hair, and he looks at Baekhyun through the mirror, and he can’t help asking something he was curious of before, “Why is your hair silver? Is it natural?”

Baekhyun shook his head, “To determine.”

“In the laboratory?” Chanyeol asks, and Baekhyun only nods. Chanyeol only hums and doesn’t ask anymore questions.

Preferring to work in silence, he focuses on his work. He does what he has to do, and a few minutes after that, they’re done. He goes out of his room and fishes out some clothes. He places his clothes near his sink and pats Baekhyun, “Clothes. To cover your bruises. It’s hot outside, but this is the only thing I can think of that will cover your scars.” he says and leaves Baekhyun in his bathroom for a while, to give him some privacy.  

He can hear his new pager beeping nonstop for the past 10 minutes, but he doesn’t pay any heed as he waits for Baekhyun to come out. He’s sure it’s work calling him in, and he’s currently preparing valid excuses to say. He just hopes that after almost 3 hours of not coming in, he won’t get into too much trouble. Besides, it’s his first time, a warning would be the most reasonable he’d get.   

The door of his bathroom opens, and Baekhyun comes out, his hair standing out as he stays rooted on his spot as Chanyeol gives him a once over. Chanyeol has to admit that Baekhyun looks good with his new hair, even if he looks like a normal guy walking around the streets of Hawkins. If Baekhyun stood out before, he even stands out even more probably because he looks a lot cleaner than before. He looks different, but in a good way. And Chanyeol’s sure that if someone he knows sees him, they would have to take a number of glances and some staring before they even recognize him.  

“You look…”  _Good. Really good. Amazing._  “…clean.” he says, and Baekhyun looks at him and plasters a small smile on his face. It seemed that they were looking at each other for eternity.  

The moment gets ruined when Chanyeol’s pager beeps again, startling the both of them. Chanyeol looks at it, and he wasn’t wrong that everything was from work. Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun apologetically, “I have to check this.” he says, and Baekhyun nods at him.  

Chanyeol waits for the call to connect. He taps his foot lightly as he waits. At the corner of his eyes, he can see Baekhyun slowly walking towards him, his feet careful to not make any noise.  

It was Jongdae who picked up the phone, and before he can even say his greeting, Jongdae beats him to it, not even giving him a simple hello.  

“Why are you not here yet?” Jongdae asks in a rather hushed voice, “You’re lucky the Chief’s not here yet, or else you’re getting in too much trouble!”  

“What is this, high school? I won’t get detention for coming in late for the first time,” he jokes, and expects Jongdae to laugh, but it doesn’t come. Instead what he receives from the other side of the line was a grunt.  

“Oh god, you do not have any idea about it yet, don’t you?” Jongdae asks, and Chanyeol furrows his brows, and before he can even ask what Jongdae means about what he just said, Jongdae speaks again, “Has the morning paper arrived at your house?”  

“It hasn’t.” he answers. It never came anyway.  

“Well if that’s the case, you have to come here. Now.” Jongdae says in a hurried tone. Chanyeol fails to catch it.  

“Yeah, I’m about to go. I’m…” he trails off as he glances at Baekhyun, “…bringing someone with me.”  

“If this is any other day, I would’ve been excited to meet someone you’ve screwed,” Jongdae says, and Chanyeol rolls his eyes as an answer as if Jongdae could see him, “Just go here. You have to see something.”  

“See what exactly?” he asks. He can’t recall anything he left. It’s probably a new case, Chanyeol thought.  

What Jongdae reveals wasn’t something he expected.  

“You’re in the front page,” Jongdae says, “What exactly did you do last night? I’m sure this is you. It even has a picture… the article says you’re with someone, but I don’t see anyone with you.”  

Chanyeol knows exactly what he was talking about; however, he doesn’t know how someone knew about that. Jongdae didn’t even see him because of Baekhyun, so how come someone saw them together? Chanyeol needs to know, “What are you even talking about?”  

“That’s what Madman Heechul said!” Jongdae exclaims.  

“Is his column a gossip column now?” he says, annoyed. He doesn’t even know how Madman Heechul knew that. He didn’t even see him last night! It’s beyond him how Madman Heechul knew those things up to that extent. He hears Jongdae tell him to hurry, and Chanyeol doesn’t even need to be told to do that and says, “I’m going.”  

Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun who’s patiently waiting for him to end the call. He sighs, “Seems like I really need you to come with me.”  

He just hopes he can cover it all up.  

  

  

 

“Glad you’re finally here!” Jongdae says as soon as he steps foot in the station. He shoves the paper in Chanyeol’s face, “Look at that!”  

Chanyeol snatches the paper from him and sees a black and white picture on the first page. He knows in one glance that it’s him, and he can’t blame Jongdae for concluding it. His outline was evident in the picture, and he can even see Baekhyun’s shadow from it. He’s just glad that Baekhyun’s face wasn’t clear, or else he’ll be expecting his death by later.  

“This is pure bullshit,” Chanyeol says as he reads the headline title:  ** _HAWKINS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND HAWKINS NATIONAL LABORATORY: ITS HIDDEN AGENDA._**  He looks at Jongdae who’s listening to him, “It’s not like you’re not aware that what Madman Heechul writes are crap.”  

“Oh, I think the fuck not,” Jongdae replies and points at a specific part on the article, “Read that. It doesn’t seem crap to me. In fact, it looks real.” he says and Chanyeol looks at it and reads.  

 _“…The Hawkins Police Department and the Hawkins National Laboratory has conducted a search party last night about the missing patient that’s been on the run for a few days now. Patient 004, as reported by my connections, is an important subject under observation of the scientists of the Hawkins National Laboratory. The whereabouts of Patient 004 is currently unknown, or until before this revelation._   

 _What the Hawkins National Laboratory doesn’t know is that the missing patient is just within their vicinity. As captured in the photograph above, a certain officer from the Hawkins Police Department is seen out of the woods, with who seems to be an unknown figure, who, according to my sources, was the runaway patient of the Hawkins National Laboratory. It seems that the both of them were heading back home to continue their business, most probably their hidden agenda._   

 _It has been revealed that Park Chanyeol, Deputy Chief of the Hawkins Police Department, is the one seen in the photograph captured. The question remains as such. Why is the Deputy Chief with Patient 004? Why is Park Chanyeol hiding the fact that who they are looking for is just with him? Is he planning something with him? Probably planning on something big that would somehow affect the town of Hawkins._   

 _Everything remains on a hypothetical situation. Further details will be announced through this column._   

 _Article Dated: March 1992”_   

“So? What do you think?” Jongdae asks and raises an eyebrow, “You know I won’t rat on you if the missing patient really is with you. I just want to know why he’s with you, and why you are not telling anyone about it.”  

“He’s not with me!” he denies. Jongdae continues to stare at him disbelievingly. Chanyeol looks away, “I’ll admit that I’m the person in that photograph, but… I don’t know anything about the missing patient.”  

Jongdae rolls his eyes, “Yeah, okay. If you say so.”  

Chanyeol knows Jongdae wasn’t buying it, “I’m serious, Jongdae. I don’t know anything about it.” he lies. Jongdae just shrugs as an answer, not in the mood to try and persuade Chanyeol to tell him the truth. Jongdae knows Chanyeol was hiding something, and he’s sure he’ll know it in some other time.  

Chanyeol continues to stare at the paper, his gaze lingering on the photograph. A while ago, Jongdae said that he doesn’t see anyone with him, but Chanyeol can see someone, but its face wasn’t clear. He wonders whether Jongdae really doesn’t see anything or maybe he can also see the shadow, but he refuses to acknowledge it as a known figure.  

The important thing was Baekhyun wasn’t clear on the photo, and that’s enough for Chanyeol to feel safe for him.  

He hears Jongdae clear his throat and say, “Hey, didn’t you say you were bringing someone with you? Where is she?”  

“Uh, well…” Chanyeol trails off. Baekhyun was with him, but he left him in the car, reminding him that he has to be wary of his surroundings. Baekhyun wanted to go with him, but Chanyeol had the feeling that it wasn’t the perfect time. “He changed his mind. He said he’ll visit next time.”  

“Oh, it’s a guy now, huh?” Jongdae says, wiggling his eyebrows, and Chanyeol rolls his eyes, “Well, that’s that. I’m just reminding you that if ever you’re keeping something —“  

Chanyeol cuts him off, “I’m not. And if ever it was true, I’ll tell you.”  _Soon._   

Chanyeol’s transceiver beeps, breaking them off their trance. They both looked down to check it, startled with the sudden sound. They both hear Chief Kim asking them to come to the Hawkins Garden as soon as possible, and Chanyeol looks at Jongdae confusedly before muttering a quick, “Copy that.”  

“Jongdae, did anything happen while I was gone? Particularly at the Hawkins Garden?” Chanyeol asks. Jongdae looks at him with furrowed brows, shaking his head.  

“I don’t think so? Unless you count that time Yixing went in here to complain about something that happened in his garden,” Jongdae says thoughtfully, “Maybe the Chief got fed up and checked it himself.”  

“I guess so,” Chanyeol says, placing his pager back on his belt, “Well, we have to get going. The Chief asked for us.”   

Jongdae shrugs and follows him out. Chanyeol expects him to go to his own car and just follow him, but Jongdae does the exact opposite and follows him to his car. Chanyeol stops in his tracks and says, “Why are you following me?”  

“Won’t we use your car?” Jongdae asks, confused, “It’s more practical to do so.”  

Chanyeol knows he has a point, and if it was any other day he would gladly let him join in, but the thing was: it wasn’t any other day and he has someone with him in his car. Someone he said was not with him.   

Jongdae continues to look at him skeptically, so Chanyeol sighs, and continues to walk, “I suppose you’re right.”  

Chanyeol can only hope that Baekhyun would sense that he was with someone, or else he’ll have no choice but to tell Jongdae the truth.  

A few steps from his car, he can already see how Baekhyun’s hair shines brightly under the morning sky, his face leaning on his car’s window as he waits patiently for Chanyeol to come pick him up. Chanyeol panics, because why didn’t Baekhyun do anything to at least hide himself from anyone? There are a lot of people who pass by their station, and he stands out like a sore thumb, so it’s impossible for him to not be noticed by anyone.   

He knows Jongdae noticed it, “Hey, what’s that in your car?” he asks, squinting his eyes as he tries to determine what it is. Jongdae walks faster, and Chanyeol stutters a reply, “It’s, uh —“ He can’t seem to think of an excuse, because Jongdae was striding towards it, leaving him alone on his spot, and by now, Chanyeol is already thinking of how he’ll be able to introduce Baekhyun. He was planning to tell it soon, but not this soon.   

Chanyeol tugs his hair out, panicking. Jongdae looks at him and points at his window, and there he sees Baekhyun looking at Jongdae, his glare deadly. Chanyeol doesn’t even know how to handle that but all he’s thinking about is how he’s about to welcome his death just by the fact that Jongdae already knows he’s hiding Baekhyun.  _Oh, god. He saw him. I’m done. I’ll die. I’ll get in trouble—_   

“…why do you have a dog in here?” Jongdae asks, breaking Chanyeol away from his exaggerated thoughts. He looks at his window again, and there he sees Baekhyun staring at him, his eyebrow raised, as if he’s questioning Chanyeol about something he’s not sure of. Jongdae sees where Chanyeol’s focus was on, “Aren’t you allergic to dogs?” Jongdae asks again, gaining Chanyeol’s attention.  

“Who says I’m allergic to dogs?” Chanyeol answers back and walks closer to Jongdae’s side.  

“Aren’t you?” Jongdae asks, and Chanyeol just shook his head as he walks around his car to go to his side.  

He sees Jongdae opening the door to the shotgun seat, but Chanyeol stops him, “Hey, I have  _my dog_  in that seat. Don’t sit there.”  

“Can’t you just put your dog in the backseat?” Jongdae asks.  

Chanyeol doesn’t miss the smirk on Baekhyun’s face when he hears that. He rolls his eyes at that before answering Jongdae, “Have some respect to  _my dog._ He called dibs in that seat.”  

Jongdae scoffs, “You talk as if your dog is an actual person.”  

 _Because he is,_ Chanyeol wants to say but he can’t so he just laughs and enters his seat. He waits for Jongdae to get settled into his seat before starting his engine. Chanyeol leans in on Baekhyun’s side and whispers, “Really, a dog?”   

Baekhyun shrugs and plasters a small smile on his face.  

“Did you just talk to your dog?” Jongdae asks, overhearing Chanyeol.  

Chanyeol looks at him with an unreadable expression, “Uh, yeah. You know what they say, a dog is a man’s best friend.” he says and chuckles awkwardly. Jongdae looks like he wants to joke about how awful Chanyeol may have looked like when he answered Jongdae, but he doesn’t and Chanyeol’s thankful for that.  

He sighs, and fixes his eyes on the road, and hopes that the trip to the Hawkins Garden will not be as bad as he expects it to be.  

 

 

 

The trip to the Hawkins Garden is definitely not peaceful just as Chanyeol thought. It was hard to ignore Baekhyun’s presence, and he badly wants to say something without looking like some crazy man in front of Jongdae. Jongdae was looking at Baekhyun weirdly saying that Chanyeol’s dog was “too stiff”. He even questioned whether it was real. Chanyeol wanted to laugh out loud, while Baekhyun had a small smile on his face as he listens to Jongdae’s comments.   

What they were expecting when they arrived at the Hawkins Garden was the usual flower-filled place, well taken care of the one and only Zhang Yixing, but what once was a sight to look at is empty and an eyesore. The place was full of ashes, of some black substance that they can’t seem to understand, and that’s just before they stepped foot in the place.   

They were just about to go out when Baekhyun stopped him, his hand gripping his arm as he looked outside. His grip was tight, his nails digging on his uniform, and if he didn’t have one, he’s sure that it would have caused some visible marks.   

“Your dog is so weird… Look, it has its paw on your arm. What is this? I never knew you had a dog, and I was assuming that you only got him today or yesterday, but how come you look so close together?” Jongdae comments, looking at Baekhyun’s hand, or rather, paws, holding Chanyeol’s arm. Chanyeol doesn’t listen to him, and instead focuses on where Baekhyun’s gaze was.   

The only person he can see there was Chief Kim and Yixing, inspecting something.   

“What is it?” Chanyeol whispers, but Baekhyun only shook his head and lets go of his arm.   

Jongdae clears his throat and says, “So, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”   

He opens the door, and Chanyeol follows him. Baekhyun does the same and it caught Chanyeol off guard, “What are you doing?” he whispers, but Baekhyun shook his head again and walks past him.   

“Hey, who’s that?” Jongdae asks, pointing at Baekhyun. Chanyeol panics because  _holy shit, he can see Baekhyun!_   

Baekhyun makes his way towards Chief Kim and taps his shoulder. Chanyeol panics and walks fast to reach Baekhyun. Jongdae seems to notice it and follow his lead, “What’s he doing with Chief Kim and Yixing?” he asks, and Chanyeol sees Baekhyun staring at them, his glare back on its usual state, and Chanyeol is also confused with whatever it is that Baekhyun’s doing.  

Chanyeol doesn’t answer Jongdae and instead walks nearer to them. He doesn’t notice Jongdae’s constant complain with the surroundings and the thing that they’re walking on. Instead his sole focus was on Baekhyun and his carelessness.   

“Chief!” Chanyeol exclaims once he was just beside Baekhyun. Baekhyun, Chief Kim, and Yixing looked at him, “Sorry about my friend.” he says, hoping that it was a good cover up. He just hopes that they don’t recognize him, especially Chief Kim since he was the one who knows him. Chanyeol’s sure Yixing doesn’t know Baekhyun, but in Chief Kim’s case, he hopes the change in Baekhyun’s appearance worked.  

“Who?” Chief Kim asks.  

“My friend—“  

“Hey, Chief!” Jongdae greets, saluting. Chief Kim nods at him and gets back to work, picking up something with his gloved hand. Jongdae looks around and sees an unfamiliar face, “Hey, who’s that?” he asks, pointing at Baekhyun.   

Chanyeol slaps his arm down, “It’s bad to point at people, Jongdae.” he whispers.  

“No, seriously, who is he?” Jongdae asks, and Chief Kim looks at him confusedly. Even Yixing was giving him the same expression.  

“I’m pretty sure you know who Yixing is, Officer Kim.” Chief Kim says, and gives an apologetic look at Yixing. Yixing just nods and smiles.  

“No, of course I know who Yixing is. I was talking about the silver-haired guy—“ he stops when he feels Chanyeol’s tight grip on his arm, stopping him. He looks at Jongdae and sees him looking at him with wide eyes, warning him to stop saying anything more.  

Chief Kim catches what he said though and says, “We’re the only ones in here. We didn’t come here to play, Officer Kim. We’re not playing hide and seek.”   

Jongdae looks like he wants to say more, but Chanyeol stops him and glances at Baekhyun who’s nodding at him. Jongdae looks at him, confused, but Chanyeol’s gaze was somewhere else, and he follows where it is, and sees that it was with the same person he was asking about, “You see him too!” he says with a hushed tone.  

Chanyeol nods at him, “Yes, and I need you to shut up and work. I’ll explain it to you later. For now, don’t look at him too much,  _or else_.”  

Jongdae didn’t need it to be said twice. He pulls his arm out of Chanyeol’s grip, and takes one last glance on the person, but he gasps when sees the dog back, instead of the silver-haired guy. He looks around to look for the same guy, but he doesn’t see him so he looks at the dog again, and gasps again when he sees the silver-haired guy, smiling at him. He looks at Chanyeol who’s silently listening to the Chief and Yixing’s conversation, then he looks back to the silver-haired guy and saw the dog again, and Jongdae can’t help reacting to it, “Am I going crazy!?”  

“Shut the fuck up, Jongdae, and focus on your work. Don’t look at him,” Chanyeol says through gritted teeth, not sparing him any glance.  

“But… one moment he’s a dog and now he’s a guy… what the fuck?” he says, and Chanyeol glances at Baekhyun who’s looking at Jongdae innocently. When Baekhyun notices Chanyeol’s gaze, he looks at him and smiles knowingly.  

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, “He’s playing with your mind, Jongdae. Shut up and listen to them.” he says, and Jongdae looks like he wants to say more, but Chanyeol steps on his foot, making Jongdae yelp, gaining Chief Kim and Yixing’s attention.  

“Officer Kim, did you come here to play around?” Chief Kim asks, and Jongdae bows, guilty of not listening to them.  

“No, Chief. Sorry,” he says.  

“Then quit playing around. We have some problem here. Show some respect,” Chief Kim says and proceeds on talking to Yixing as he plays around with the black substance on his gloves.  

Jongdae looks at Chanyeol, and nudges him. Chanyeol looks at him and understands what he means. He just shook his head and raise his hand to his face, “Later.” Jongdae nods, confused but understanding with the situation. Jongdae takes one last glance on the silver-haired guy, and sees him behind Chanyeol, closely peering at them. The guy sensed his gaze, so he looks at him and shakes his head, and brings a finger to his lips, shushing him. He then points at Chief Kim and Yixing, and there he listens to whatever it is that they’re talking about.  

“...This has been going on for a while. No, actually, it started… 2 or 3 days ago? I mean, I usually lost flowers and I just thought that it was because of people the who stole flowers for their garden or for the sake of having something to give to their loved ones, but then these past few days, it was different. At first, I thought it was someone burning something toxic in my garden, but then the burnt area the next day was bigger. Then there’s this slime thing… I don’t know what it is but it’s killing my flowers,” Yixing explains and sighs exasperatedly, “I don’t know what to do. This season is the best season to sell flowers, but I don’t even have any because it’s all dead and covered with these slimes and ashes. I don’t even know where it came from. Most of the missing ones were my Amaryllis and Adenium… It took so much time to grow that, it’s a shame that they’re suddenly gone.”  

Chanyeol looks down and sees the ashes Yixing was talking about. He crouches down to inspect it closely, but Chief Kim stops him and lends him a glove, “It might be toxic.”  

Chanyeol accepts it and puts it on before returning to his position. He scoops some of the ashes, but he was surprised to see that it was wet, and it was sticky. It appeared to be like ashes, but it was anything but, “Is this really…slime? Covered in ashes?” he asks, and shows it to them, “How is this even possible?”  

“We don’t know that yet,” Chief Kim replies.  

Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun and discreetly raises his gloved hand. Baekhyun’s face was in a mix of disgust and fear, and he’s sure he knows something about it. He’ll ask it once he gets the chance to. But for now, he’s stuck in a garden of mixed ashes and slime.   

“The smell’s so horrible. I should’ve brought my mask,” Jongdae complains and fans the front of his face to somehow get rid of the smell.   

“Okay, we’ll be splitting sides. We have to search where this thing came from,” Chief Kim said and both Chanyeol and Jongdae nod, “Officer Park, I’ll trust you to go to the left, and Officer Kim, you’ll be going to the other side. I’ll be expecting the both of you to keep me updated if you see something.” he says, and the two of the officers have no choice but to comply.   

Chanyeol proceeds to go to his side, carefully walking against the muddy place, preventing it from reaching his uncovered skin. Baekhyun was quietly following behind him, his head looking down as he observes what they’re walking on. Once they were already far from the others, he urges Baekhyun to move to his side, giving him no choice but to hurry and walk towards him. When Baekhyun was already beside him, Chanyeol looks back first before attempting to talk to him quietly, “So, do you have any idea what this is?” he asks.  

Baekhyun nods at him, the familiar feeling of being stuck in the Unknown, the world Upside Down, going back to his mind in every step that he makes on the Hawkins Garden’s field. Everything in the place was reminding him of the dark — the smell, the wet and slimy field, and even the atmosphere that’s slowly turning cold every second that they stay here was beginning to feel like he’s in the same place all over again. It was suffocating, slowly killing him as he feels his breath slowly leaving him.  

Chanyeol places an arm around his wrist, the warmth bringing him back to reality, snapping him out of his trance. Chanyeol looks at him with a concerned face, “Are you okay?” he asks, and Baekhyun just nods at him. Chanyeol looks around the place, and he realizes that it won’t be easy for them to look where everything started. The place was already too dark to look at, losing the color and beauty it once had.  _It’s a shame,_  Chanyeol thought. Hawkins Garden was one of the places that can be considered as a pride of the town of Hawkins, yet here it is, ruined, and even if Chanyeol wants it to be saved, he can’t. The only thing he could do was bring justice to it, and hopefully, catch the culprit of whoever did this.  

He doesn’t notice Baekhyun leaving his side as he continues to look for any gaps in the place to check any clues or evidences that would help them have any leads as to who committed the crime. He spent a few minutes looking down, quietly complaining about the disgusting smell that was slowly filling his nose, and he’s already close to suffocating from the odor. So what he does is he stands up, covers his nose for a second while he looks around to check how the others were doing. He sees Jongdae at a distance, covering his nose with a towel of his, and Chief Kim was on the other side, quietly and cautiously examining the place, accompanied by Yixing who looks like he’s trying to save some of the flowers that still have a chance to live. Baekhyun, however, was far away from him, and he’s staring intently at something below him.   

Chanyeol makes his way towards him, curious with what Baekhyun was looking at. Baekhyun doesn’t seem to notice his presence, and instead, he keeps his eyes on whatever it is that he’s looking at.  

When he was near him, he looks at Baekhyun and says, “Baek, what are you —“   

Baekhyun points something to him, making him stop with what he was about to say. Chanyeol looks down and sees a hole – a huge hole that he’s sure was never there before. Without thinking, he calls Jongdae and Chief Kim with an urgent voice. He doesn’t notice Baekhyun who’s trembling from the sight.  

“What the fuck?” Jongdae exclaims upon seeing the hole. Yixing was just beside him, looking surprised as well and says, “This wasn’t here before…”  

“I guess this is where it came from…” Chanyeol says and looks at Jongdae who was currently gaping at the sight.   

Baekhyun cowers behind him, his fists balled and shaking. He’s trying to prevent himself from having another attack but seeing the same thing he doesn’t want to see ever again was hard not to notice. Chanyeol doesn’t notice him and continues to observe the obvious damage in the place.   

The hole was not like any other hole that’s been dug by people. It looked different. It was covered in ashes, as if it was a product of an explosion, and inside it was branches and vines that were slowly growing as they observe it. It was surrounded by black worms and slugs, spitting out some green-like substance, unknown to any of them.   

Chanyeol wants to know more and inspect the hole by going down, but before he could even do it, a grip on his arm stops him. He looks at the owner of it and sees Chief Kim looking at him with an unreadable expression. Chanyeol looks at him questioningly, but Chief Kim only shook his head.  

“We’re still not sure whether it’s safe to hop in there. I think it would be best if we contact someone who knows more about it,” Chief Kim says and lets go of his arm when he stands up properly, “I’ll call the Hawkins National Laboratory. They’ll probably have an idea about it once they check what it is.”  

Chanyeol wants to protest and say that they don’t need the help of the Hawkins National Laboratory, but he keeps his mouth shut. He doesn’t want to cause any suspicions, not when there’s a possibility that Chief Kim knows about his headline issue. He needs to be a lot more cautious with his actions, because it feels like someone was watching every of his move, and he can’t risk any of their safety because of his carelessness.   

He knows all too well that Baekhyun wouldn’t like the idea that the Hawkins National Laboratory would be interfering, and that they would be close to him. He looks at Baekhyun’s side to warn him about it, but he was surprised to see that Baekhyun wasn’t near him. In fact, he doesn’t see Baekhyun at all.  

 _Where the hell are you, Baekhyun?_   


	5. Yoora

**_Hawkins National Laboratory > Unknown, 1992_ **

 

 _“Patient 004, up for observation. Locate_ Zero  _in 10 minutes,” a voice from the speaker says. He stands up, waits for them to come, “Failure to show power indicates full termination. Failure to locate Zero means up for another observation.”_

 _Termination. Suddenly, he doesn’t feel as confident anymore. What if he fails to escape? What if along the way he’ll die? He can’t. He still wants to know who he is, he still wants to see the light of the day._  

_And it was that Zero again. That one person that they’re making him look for._

_They open the glass door, waiting for him to enter. Someone digs his fingers on his skin, putting a tracker inside him, and he already knows how the thing works. He was only up for observation for 10 minutes, meaning that the tracker won’t work if he exceeds. If he wasn’t back by 10 minutes and he fails to show any of his power, the man with him would immediately terminate him._

_He has to do this properly. It was the only way for him to escape._  

 _The man behind him pushes him, and it had caught him off guard and he almost trips. He managed to catch himself, and he turns to look at him, glaring._ Asshole.

_The familiar feeling of coldness embraces him the moment he steps foot in the darkness. The mist was already hitting his face, but he was already used to it. It doesn’t bother him anymore, nor does it blur his vision. However, he feels all of his courage sucked out of him, all of his light taken out of him by the darkness the place has, but he doesn’t stop. He has to go on with his plan or else he won’t be able to save himself._

_It was good that they kept him in this place, because by doing so, he had managed to train himself with his power, and he knows how to make it all work. He had managed to know where else he could get out of this place. It was the best and only way, so he tries to lead the man to the place without having him suspicious._

_Unknown to his plans, the man follows him, looking around the place while his gun was up, aiming at him. He doesn’t stop walking, but his fists were balled, and he was close to showing his power. He tries to calm himself down. It was not yet the time. The monster was not yet in front of them. All of his power will get used up if he does it now. He can’t risk it._

_At the distance, he could already see the place— its broken rails, the growing vines surrounding the hole that could emit daylight, and the widening portal to another town. This was it. If he successfully controls the person behind him, he’ll be able to run without anyone hindering him. Any minute now he’ll be out of this place, out of the laboratory, and he promises himself that he won’t ever try to come back._

_Except he sees a familiar face in the darkness, trapped and chained on vines that were gripping tightly on her body. Her eyes were closed, but she still seems to be breathing. The monster was nowhere in sight, not guarding her like the usual._ Three.  _He had to save her. He was the only friend that he could consider, and she was the one who helped him all throughout._  

 _He was about to make a move to her when suddenly a loud ring echoes in the silence._ No.  _He snaps his head towards the direction and he sees the man behind him cursing under his breath, taking the pager out of his suit to stop it from beeping._ No, no, no,  _he chants in his head. No noise. The noise isn’t allowed in this place. The noise attracts the monster._  

 _It was starting to be a clear escape but suddenly, it wasn’t. All because of that damn thing. He hears a screeching sound from afar. He looks at Three and sees her still, unmoved, and he tries to take another step but a sudden scream echoes again, and it was_ near  _him, awfully near as if he was just a few meters away from him._  

 _He hears something drop to the ground, and he looks down and sees the pager rolling on the ground._ It was here.  _He looks back, and he almost lets out a sob, but he manages to cover his mouth to prevent it._

 _The monster had successfully captured him, and he was busy with him._ This is fault.  _He didn’t want anyone to die because of him, but here on front of him was someone that had only been tasked to observe him, but now he was gone. And there was no way he could save him. Not with the monster._

_The monster suddenly looks at him, and he steps back, nervous and afraid with the way the man’s eyes were glinting with hunger. He was already smirking, planning something underneath it, “You again? And you brought me food?”_

_No… No… This wasn’t his intention. He didn’t mean it. He was aggressive, yes, and he could hurt… but he didn’t mean to kill anyone along the process._ No, it can’t be.

 _He takes a few more steps back and he remembers_ Three.  _He had to save her. He could do it. He could save her if the monster doesn’t try to kill him._

_But it seems like the monster was not satisfied with his food because a second after looking at Three, he was already in front of him, licking his lips, “I don’t think you can escape me now, honey.”_

_He thinks so too. But he can’t stop. He had already gone this far and the last thing he would want is to retreat and meet his death the moment he steps foot in that laboratory._  

 _He could see the station, its portal slightly open. It was dark beyond it, but he knows that it’s a place where daylight was present. He looks back at Three, stuck and chained, but she was now looking at him, her eyes pleading yet surrendered already, as if she had already given up._ No…

 _The monster was in front of him, and they were now face to face, his eyes boring into his like the first time it happened, but he cannot be affected by it now. He was different now. And he had all of his focus since a while ago. He was prepared, that’s why when the monster’s hand touches his skin, he glows, radiating light, so bright that the monster had screeched and scream in pain._  

_This was it. This was the time that he could escape. His light was too bright, and anytime soon he’ll run out. He won’t reach the station if that’s the case… but he still has to save Three. He can’t leave her alone._

_He was going to move towards her, his focus divided, making the light slowly disappear. The monster had caught up, tries to touch him using his own power, and it had caught him, making him stumble back to the ground. He could already see him making his way, and he screams in fear because_ no, it can’t be the end of him yet.  

 _He tries to conjure more of his light, and he stands up, running towards the station. He looks back and sees Three’s body stuck in that place and he wants to cry. He could’ve made it. He could’ve saved her, but the fear of being dead had entered his mind and the first thing he did was to run away._  

_Run away from everything including the monster— to forget and to never come back._

_That’s why when he had reached the portal, he didn’t dare to look back, missing the fact that the portal had widened and it had made it as its own, meaning it could only be him that could close it. It was left wide open, so he doesn’t see the man that had followed him to the dark station, smirking when he had stepped foot in the city of Hawkins._

_The man smirks, looking around, and laughing to himself._ It’s time to conquer Hawkins.

 

 ••

 

 **CHAPTER FIVE: Yoora**   

 

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

 

Chanyeol slams the door of his car, huffing as he hastily puts on his seatbelt. He looks at the person beside him and rolls his eyes when he sees him staring ahead, looking indifferent like the usual. Jongdae was on the backseat, settling down, confused as to why Chanyeol looks so pissed, in contrast with the worried look he had a few minutes ago.   

“You scared me, you ass,” Chanyeol mutters and looks at Baekhyun who’s remaining motionless beside him, “You shouldn’t have done that. I literally thought that someone had already captured you, and I was too busy to even notice it!”

Baekhyun doesn’t give him any reaction and stays motionless on his seat. Chanyeol kept on cursing under his breath.

Jongdae taps his shoulder, garnering his attention. He looks at him with an annoyed face and Jongdae backs away, “Not to interrupt your inner craze, but to whom exactly are you talking to?” he asks as he glances at the empty seat beside him, “I was assuming that the dog… or the guy… or the dog, or whatever it is was on the shotgun that’s why I didn’t go in, but seeing that there’s no one in there, I should’ve —“  

“Shut  _it_ ,” Chanyeol interrupts, his irritated voice booming inside the car, and looks again at the person beside him. Jongdae furrows his brows as Chanyeol glares at no one, and says, “Are you serious? You literally exposed yourself a while ago, and now you’re making me look like I’m some crazy asshole who’s talking to himself!”  

“Aren’t you?” Jongdae asks, his tone teasing, trying to lighten up the mood, but Chanyeol glares at him and the small smile on his face vanishes as he sinks back to his seat.  

Baekhyun remains stoic beside him and it infuriates Chanyeol even more. He wants to tug his hair out of frustration, “Stop being so stubborn!” he says and sighs exasperatedly, “You’ll be the death of me, I swear.”  

Baekhyun looks at him and rolls his eyes, while Jongdae was left peering at the back. He was just about to make another joke about Chanyeol being a crazy fuck, but when he glances on the passenger seat, he was astonished to see another person in it, the same person he was curious of when they were in the Hawkins Garden’s field. The guy looks at him and Jongdae almost screams and throws a fit when he sees the guy giving him a big grin, and something with the way he grins at him scared the fuck out of him, and he’s  _sure_ that what he’s seeing was real, ”Why is he smiling at me like that? Am I in some horror movie?!” he stutters, pointing at the person who’s still giving him a huge, scary grin.

When Chanyeol hears what Jongdae was saying, he looks at Baekhyun and sees him innocently staring at Jongdae. However, he notices the small smirk in his face when he gives a side glance at him. Chanyeol rolls his eyes and smacks his arm lightly, “Stop playing with his mind, you fuck. He’ll die because of a heart attack!”  

Jongdae looks at him, conflicted and scared. Chanyeol looks back at him and points at the guy beside him. By now, he’s scared to look at the person again, so he closes his eyes before dramatically slowly opening it, his eyes taking a small peek first before opening it comically wide when he sees the person beside Chanyeol looking at him like how a normal person looks like. He was the same silver-haired guy he saw on the fields, and Jongdae had to blink repeatedly, even opting to scratch his eyes as he looks at him, “I think I’m going  _crazy_.”  

Baekhyun breaks his act and looks straight ahead, ignoring Jongdae’s piercing gaze. He just smirks and mumbles, “Crackhead.”  

Jongdae doesn’t miss it and his eyes go wide as he looks at Chanyeol who laughs slightly, not missing the remark. Jongdae looks at him, betrayed, “Did you teach him that!?” Chanyeol just shrugs and starts his engine. Jongdae was left there, pulling his hair as he tries to process what he just saw, “I must be crazy. I’m crazy. Or maybe I’m dreaming. Why am I even doubting this? I  _am_ crazy.” he says to himself, and chants  _crazy_ for a couple of minutes, and Chanyeol gave a knowing glance at Baekhyun.   

Jongdae surely wasn’t handling it well.   

After a few more minutes of convincing himself, he looks at Chanyeol and  _calmly_ says, “Okay. I’m okay now. I’m ready to know what the fuck is happening.”  

“Do I really have to?” Chanyeol asks.  

“Well, maybe you don’t need to. I don’t know, I think this is something I see everyday,” he sarcastically says.  

“Then I don’t have to,” Chanyeol says, teasing, earning a light chuckle from Baekhyun.  

Jongdae slaps his own forehead, “You absolute fuck! Of course, you  _have_ to tell me. How am I supposed to go on with my life knowing that a guy can magically transform from being a dog, to being a guy, then to being invisible, and then to having blood in his eyes. What kind of transfiguration is this?” he asks exasperatedly, even raising his fingers as he recounts every peculiar thing Baekhyun did to him. Jongdae hears a quiet laugh from the front and he instantly looks at the silver-haired guy, “ _You!_ Who the fuck are you?”  

Chanyeol sees Baekhyun shifting uncomfortably on his seat, so he decides to be the one to introduce him. Not taking his eyes off the road, he says, “Jongdae, this is Baekhyun. Baek, for short.”  

“Oh, hi, Baekhyun,” Jongdae greets and fakes a smile, “I’m Jongdae and I’m absolutely freaked out just looking at you. Have you got more tricks up your sleeve? Are you normal? Are you born with such ability? Are you  _really_ alive?”  

Baekhyun avoids each of his questions, so Jongdae looks at Chanyeol for an explanation. Chanyeol drums his fingers on his wheel nervously and takes a glance on Baekhyun’s side profile. Chanyeol doesn’t know whether it was okay to reveal who he really was, and he plans on lying but seeing Jongdae’s questioning and determined look, he sighs and decides to tell him the truth, “Jongdae, this is…” he trails off and glances a bit longer at Baekhyun, waiting for a confirmation. Baekhyun feels a heavy gaze on him, so he just nods in understanding and points at his front, signaling Chanyeol to look where he was going.  

“So?” Jongdae asks impatiently.  

Chanyeol takes a deep breath before answering, “He’s Patient 004.”  

“Excuse me,  _who_?”  

“Patient 004.” Chanyeol answers, letting out a breath he’s holding.  

Jongdae gasps, “So it’s true then? That you’re hiding the missing patient? And that you have a hidden agenda along with the people in the laboratory? Have you been planning this all along?” he asks, remembering the article of Madman Heechul talking about Chanyeol and his hidden plans that may affect the city.   

“What? No!” Chanyeol denies, “Well, it’s true that I do have plans —“  

“I’m going to stop you if it’s going to badly affect Hawkins —“  

“—That’s very heroic of you, but I can tell you that it’s  _not,_ ” Chanyeol assures, gripping tightly on his wheels as he takes a turn on the road, “It’s more of a personal plan. Not anything that would directly cause the downfall of Hawkins.”  

“Then what is it about? Why is there even the need to keep him hidden? You know if the Chief knew about this, he won’t hesitate on firing you! He’ll report this to the laboratory and they would be more than willing to deliver you to your deathbed.” Jongdae says, thinking ahead of everything.  

“You think I never considered those ideas?” Chanyeol asks, frustrated, “Why else do you think I didn’t tell you the first time I met him? I didn’t know if I can trust you to not rat me out,” he says, and Jongdae keeps his mouth shut, listening to him, “I’m not the perfect example of cautious, and I admit it was wrong to let Baekhyun out when it’s still risky to do so, but…”  _he looked so cute when he was pouting and how can I say no?_ “But he’s a friend who’s willing to help me look for my sister.”  

“So this is all about your sister?” Jongdae asks, and Chanyeol just nods, “You’re willing to risk almost everything just to look for your sister?”  

“Yes,” he answers truthfully. Chanyeol takes a glance at Baekhyun who’s quietly listening to their conversation, “Besides, Baekhyun can help us with the strange things happening in Hawkins. He’s the one who saw that hole in the Hawkins Garden’s field.”  

At the mention of hole, Baekhyun freezes as he stares outside, and he tries to think of something that would make Chanyeol stop. He  _needs_ to warn Chanyeol about it. Even if he doesn’t know whether it will help, it was the least that he could do for him to be wary of his surroundings. He doesn’t want Chanyeol to feel it, to feel the sinking feeling of hopelessness that Unknown can bring to a person. No one in Hawkins deserves to know it. Not even himself. So he tries his best to conjure something out from his mind, promising himself that it will be the last time he interferes with Jongdae’s mind.  

Chanyeol pushes his brakes out of panic when Jongdae suddenly exclaims, “Chanyeol, there’s a dog!”   

When Chanyeol pulls to a stop, he examines the place and sees nothing, “What the hell, Jongdae? I don’t see any dog in front! Were you just imagining it —“ he stops and realizes something.  _Baekhyun._ He glances at the person beside him, and he thinks he has caught him red handed when he sees him gripping the him of his sweatshirt tightly, his fists balled, “Why did you do it?” Chanyeol asks, “Was it because you wanted to tell us something about the hole? You know you can just say it properly instead of scaring the shit out of us.” he says, and Jongdae nods in agreement.   

Chanyeol parks the car on the side so that they could talk, annoyed but he tries to keep his lips pursed as they come to a stop.  

Baekhyun looks down, guilty, and Chanyeol notices it, “It’s okay. I understand.” he assures as he looks at him with a sincere look. Baekhyun looks at him and shows him a tight-lipped smile, as if telling him that he’s grateful for it. They stay like that for a while, looking like they’re talking with each other’s eyes, or through  _telepathy,_ that’s what they say. Jongdae looks back and forth between them as they continue to stare at each other.  _They’re cute,_ Jongdae thought, and as much as he wants to watch the both of them staring at each other’s eyes, he’s a shit, so he decides to interrupt the loving moment by clearing his throat and saying, “So, what’s this about the hole?”  

Chanyeol snaps out of his trance and looks at Jongdae to glare at him. Jongdae winks at him teasingly, “Are we talking about the hole in the field or are we talking about a  _different_ hole?” he asks and wiggles his eyebrows at Chanyeol.   

Baekhyun looks at him, confusion evident on his innocent face, “Huh?”  _Is there another hole that is potentially dangerous?_ He has to know.  

Jongdae smirks and says, “I think Chanyeol knows what I mean.”  

Chanyeol, unable to slap his friend, glares at him while he gives him another wiggle of eyebrows. He has the sudden urge to throw his friend off the car, but he stops where his thoughts were heading when he feels another gaze on the side of his face. He looks at Baekhyun who’s giving him a questioning look, waiting for him to explain what it means. Chanyeol wants to slap his own forehead, but decides against it and answers Baekhyun’s question, “It’s nothing. Jongdae’s just being the usual dumb shit he is.” he says, and Baekhyun continues to look at him with a disbelieving look, so he tries to avert the topic, “So, what’s this about the hole?”  

“Yeah, Baekhyun, what’s this about your hole — I mean,  _the_ hole,” Jongdae corrects when he sees Chanyeol’s glare at him.   

Baekhyun looks conflicted, as if he wants to ask more, but he decides against it, so he leans back on his seat and looks straight ahead and says, “Unknown.”  

“Unknown?” Chanyeol and Jongdae asked in unison, and Baekhyun nods at them. "It's about that?" Chanyeol asks.  

“Sorry, what’s Unknown?” Jongdae questions, curious.  

“I don’t know how to explain this but it’s, uh,” Chanyeol tries to explain, but fails because he  _really_ doesn’t know how to explain it. It was vague, and the only thing he could say was that it was the place where his sister is, and that there’s a monster. How was he supposed to tell Jongdae all of those without sounding a bit weird, “Uh…”  

Baekhyun beats him to it, surprising Chanyeol, “Hawkins, but darker. Like the Upside Down.”

“Well, I didn’t know that,” Chanyeol says, looking at Baekhyun. He didn’t know that Unknown was Hawkins but darker. Sure, he knows that it was dark, considering the amount of times that Baekhyun said dark, but he didn’t know it was  _Hawkins,_ in a darker sense. And Upside Down? That's new to him.

“Are you saying that it’s the same place as Hawkins, but it’s darker?” Jongdae asks, and Baekhyun nods. Jongdae looks at him with confusion, “That’s weird. It’s never dark in Hawkins. We’re like the city that never sleeps. There’s always light in here.” he says.  

“Exactly,” Baekhyun answers, “Hawkins but darker. Monsters. Death.”  

Jongdae leans on Chanyeol’s side and whispers, “Does he really talk like that? Word per word?”  

Chanyeol nods at him, “It’s still easy to understand. Don’t be such an ass.”  

“Yeah, I won’t, just because I think if I become as such, I’ll be preventing you from kissing  _that_ ass,” he says and points at Baekhyun with his lips. This time, Chanyeol doesn’t hesitate to slap his friend’s head and says, “Show some respect, you asshole.”  

Baekhyun looks at the both of them, curious. Chanyeol smiles at him as he pushes Jongdae to the back, “Sorry. Jongdae just asked if you usually talk like that.”  

“Sorry, I was just curious,” he says and smiles sheepishly, “It’s not really a problem. It's better than not talking at all."  

"I can talk," Baekhyun responds, gaining a gasp from Chanyeol, because honestly, if he thinks about it, Baekhyun talked to Jongdae even more times than they actually did. If he was being honest with himself, he feels a  _tiny bit_ jealous about it. Well, he's the friend and Jongdae wasn't, so it would make sense if he talked to him a bit more than the usual nodding, shrugging or the eye contact.  

"Yeah, I know. I was talking about the one-word type of talking, that's all. No offense," Jongdae says.  

"I can talk more than that."  

"Well then, maybe you should try doing it more often," Jongdae says and Baekhyun just shrugs at him.  

Chanyeol listens to their exchange and rolls his eyes, realizing that Baekhyun  _did_ talk to Jongdae more than he ever did with Chanyeol, in a proper way at that. So, no one can blame him for the envy evident on his voice when he says, "Why don't we get back to the topic instead of talking about how Baekhyun should go about in conversing with people?"  

Jongdae smirks at his remark and chooses to fix his gaze on Baekhyun, "Hey, Baekhyun, can you smell that?" he asks, and Baekhyun cranes his neck to look at him, his eyes glinting with curiosity. Jongdae laughs and says, "I can smell jealousy in the air."  

Chanyeol scoffs and doesn't say anything else. Jongdae continues laughing while Baekhyun is left confused as he looks at Jongdae innocently.   

"Shut the fuck up, Jongdae. That's not even the issue in here. We're talking about the Unknown," Chanyeol says and Jongdae, as usual, looks like he wants to say more but decides against it when Chanyeol looks at him with an almost murderous look. After a minute of silence, Chanyeol clears his throat, looks at Baekhyun, and asks, "So, does it mean that the hole is like, connected with the Unknown?"  

Baekhyun nods at him, and Chanyeol breathes in and says, "Does this mean I can go to my sister through that hole?"  

"No!" Baekhyun exclaims loudly, startling both Chanyeol and Jongdae. Baekhyun looks at him disbelievingly, "Unknown… dangerous, dark, monsters.  _He_ is not easy to fight."  

"Who is?"   

"Monster!" Baekhyun replies.  

"I have weapons.  _We_ have weapons. We can always use them, and if we work together, we'll be able to beat him—“  

"No! No, no, no, no," Baekhyun chants, "Can't. Can't. Can't."  

Chanyeol  _knows_ that tone, and a flashback enters his mind as he remembers that night he first talked to Baekhyun, and by now, he's afraid that Baekhyun would suddenly start banging his head against his window.   

Baekhyun was still chanting the same words, his fists clenched. Jongdae looks at him, curious and slightly panicked with the way Baekhyun was acting. Chanyeol's sure Jongdae’s  already calling Baekhyun crazy in his head, but he knows Baekhyun was anything but _._ He tries to be understanding, deeming that it was Baekhyun being scared, so Chanyeol unbuckles his seatbelt so there's nothing hindering him, and holds Baekhyun's clenched fist as a weak attempt to calm him down, "I'm sorry. I know the Unknown— or the Upside down, was it?— is a dangerous place, and it has some non-human creature that could potentially harm us, but we won't be able to do something if we don't even know what it is and how we'll be able to beat it."  

Chanyeol draws small circles on Baekhyun's hand, calming him down. Baekhyun unclenches his fist, and it remains steady on his lap with Chanyeol's hand on top. Jongdae sees this and smirks knowingly and waits for a few more seconds before clearing his throat, gaining Chanyeol's attention. He looks at their hands pointedly and wiggles his eyebrows, earning another rolling of eyes. Chanyeol lets go of Baekhyun's hand and just places his on his steering wheel.  

They sat there in silence for a while, waiting for Baekhyun to say something. Chanyeol was just there, drumming his fingers on his wheels, while Jongdae was observing the both of them, and makes a mental note to tease Chanyeol about it when he arrives at the station alone.   

They hear Baekhyun sigh, and both Chanyeol and Jongdae turn to look at him, "The hole is a warning."  

"A warning for what? Some natural disaster? An earthquake?  _The end of the world?_ " Chanyeol guesses, and Baekhyun just kept shaking his head, "Then what? Are we going to die because of it? Do we have to prepare ourselves?"  

At the mention of death, Jongdae freezes and looks at Chanyeol nervously, then he feels his blood rushing out of him as he glances at Baekhyun and sees him nodding, and says, "Danger is coming."  

 

 

 

It would be a lie if he told himself that he wasn’t shaken with what Baekhyun said.  

Sure, he was willing to do everything for his sister, to save her and end the misery that his parents are trying to keep all these years, but if it can affect not only him, but also the city, then would it be worth it to try and go to an unknown place? What if it wasn’t even real, and what Baekhyun’s telling are just lies that some crazy old man says? He doesn’t know, but Baekhyun’s explanations were the only ones that could lead him to his sister, and nothing else.  

So here he was, in his cabin, up at 2 AM, thinking of what ifs, of what he should do, of the things that he will be risking if he does this, and most importantly,  _of Baekhyun._   

He won’t say that he never considered it — that there’s a possibility that Baekhyun’s playing with his mind the same way he’s playing with Jongdae’s. But he also considers the fact that the first night he met Baekhyun, it doesn’t seem like it was purely mind controlling. It was  _too_ real to be even considered as a fragment of his imagination. It was weird to him, how Baekhyun seems normal to him, but in another person’s perspective, Jongdae for example, Baekhyun looks different… weird, scary, cute, or  whatever it may be just to pretend that he’s a different person, or creature.

Is acting cute and all with him just a part of his hallucination? He remembers Baekhyun succeeding in convincing him to come with him, just by looking like  _that_ , like some irresistible, good-looking guy that gets what he wants by one look. He’s pretty sure that Baekhyun tried to play with his mind, because how else could he have persuaded Chanyeol that easily?  

(Except, if Chanyeol doesn’t try to deny it, Baekhyun looking at him like  _that_ is just a weakness he never knew existed. And it was all exclusive for Baekhyun and only for Baekhyun.)  

Chanyeol plays with his glass, spinning it lightly as he thinks deeply, his thoughts wandering from his sister, to his plans, to his well being, and ending up on Baekhyun and his abilities. He sighs before gulping the last of his drink. He doesn’t notice the light footsteps coming his way, and he was left surprised to see Baekhyun standing near his kitchen door, his sweater too big for him, along with a pajama that reaches his toes, his hair was sticking out to different sides, but just like that he stands out in Chanyeol’s eyes.   

Chanyeol averts his gaze to his glass, “Why are you up?” he asks, yawning, feeling the tiredness coming to him as he looks at Baekhyun whose eyes are still almost closed. If Baekhyun wasn’t blinking from time to time, he would’ve thought that he was still asleep.  

“Dark,” Baekhyun answers and points to the direction of his bedroom, “Inside.”  

Chanyeol immediately understands it, and smiles at him apologetically, “Sorry, I turned off the lights out of habit. I won’t do it again.”   

Baekhyun nods at him, and remains motionless, his arms dangling to his sides. Chanyeol wants to think that Baekhyun was waiting for him to get up, and follow him, but he doesn’t want to assume.   

Chanyeol would usually leave Baekhyun alone in the room to give him some space, and if ever he wants to sleep, he would usually sleep on the floor and let Baekhyun have his bed.  

Lost in his thoughts, he doesn’t see Baekhyun moving towards him and only notices him when he was just beside him, peering down at him, saying, “Sleep.”  

Even if Chanyeol wants to, he would rather wait for Baekhyun to go back inside his room and wait for him to sleep soundly. Chanyeol shakes his head and says, “It’s okay. I’ll go to sleep when I feel tired.”  

Baekhyun seems to pause for a second, like he was suddenly thinking of something. Chanyeol was just there looking at him while he seems deep in thought. He doesn’t miss the slight furrowing his brows as he does so, “Light,” Baekhyun mutters, “The light.”  

 _Oh, right,_ Chanyeol thinks. He hasn’t turned on his night lamp, and Baekhyun dislikes anything related to dark, and avoids being in it. So he needs Chanyeol to accompany him.  _He’s such a child,_ Chanyeol thought and shakes his head as the thought enters hirs mind.   

Chanyeol sighs and stands up, bringing his glass to his sink before returning to Baekhyun who’s waiting for him, “Okay. Let’s go.” he says, and he doesn’t miss the small smile adorning Baekhyun’s lips.   

When they reach his bedroom, he turns his night lamp on, and shifts on his makeshift bed on his floor. Baekhyun just follows his movements, taking small steps towards the bed. Chanyeol smiles at him, and points to his bed, “Go back to sleep.” he says, and Baekhyun nods at him, lying down on his bed. When Chanyeol sees that Baekhyun was already comfortable in his position, he covers the half of his body with a blanket and says, “Good night, Baek.”  

He wasn’t expecting anything in reply, so he is startled when Baekhyun replies, “Good night, Yeol.”  

Chanyeol looks at him, watching his eyes slowly closing, a small smile present on his lips. He finds himself smiling back, and lies down, feeling sleep slowly engulfing his system.  

He doesn’t realize that Baekhyun could’ve conjured light all by himself.  

 

 

 

Baekhyun stares outside quietly, observing the kids who were playing under the sun, with no care at all, as if all is well as long as they get to play together. He doesn’t see that much since he's just forcing the blinds to open, but it was enough for him to take a peek and see the children playing. He sighs, and wonders whether he had done the same thing back when he was still a child. It’s a shame that he doesn’t remember anything from his past, and even if he wanted to, it’s too late now. He’s had too much in his mind, and he’s sure that even if he remembers something, it was all just a memory waiting to be buried. Still, he can’t help thinking about how nice it would be if he wasn’t some runaway patient, and he has the freedom to go to the market anytime, probably to interact with the people there, or to buy some peanut butter that he’s grown to love. He could do that, or he could also spend some time with his friend, Chanyeol, just because it feels so nice thinking about spending some time with a  _friend._   

He never knew he wanted a friend, not until Chanyeol came. He trusts him because he is his friend, and friends help each other, that's why he is willing to lend a hand to him when he was asking about his sister. He wants to reach his sister for him, to save Three, a long-lost friend of his, but he... can't. Not when he has to go back to the place that gives him nightmares. As much as he wants to lead Chanyeol to the Unknown, he doesn't want to. He knows Chanyeol can protect himself in Hawkins, but the thing was, he's  _sure_ he can't protect himself in there, not when there's a man who's willing to eat anyone alive for him to live more in the dark.   

The same man enters his mind, and he can't help wincing, scrunching his nose in distaste as he remembers that man's face covered with maggots, the corner of his mouth that was always dripping with blood, his bloodshot eyes, hungry with desire and too powerful to the point that he will make it hard for a person to look away, and the fact that he could go anywhere in the Unknown in a snap, making it impossible for anyone to escape him, is scaring Baekhyun. The last time he saw him, he was tending to some slugs, covering Three with vines that kept on growing from somewhere else, almost choking her but still not too tight to keep her alive. He doesn't know why he's keeping Three alive, but one thing's for sure is that he wasn't a normal enemy that could die from a bullet. In fact, he isn't normal at all. And that alone is a reason why he can't let Chanyeol go to that place. The world upside down was the worst place to go.

He wants to help, but his fear was bigger than his courage, eating him alive just by the mere thought of going back to that place. He got lucky once, when his light accompanied him and overpowered the monster's ability, but he doesn't want to push his luck.   

He sighs, leaning his head on the window as he tries to peek one more time. He sees a kid helping his friend to cover his wound. He wants to help a friend too, but the thing was, how could he help his  _only_  friend without risking his safety? Would it be too selfish of him to do so just because he doesn't want the only person he knows, the only friend he ever had ever since he ran away from the laboratory, get into trouble? He doesn't want anything bad to happen to him, and while he does admire his courage, all that courage will only go down the drain once he steps foot in the Unknown.   

He doesn't hear Chanyeol calling him numerous times, too lost in his thoughts. He snaps out of it when he feels a tap on his shoulder, and he's met by the same eyes that gives him warmth, a calm feeling, in contrast of what he's been feeling for the past 10 years.   

"Baekhyun?" Chanyeol asks, worried, "Are you alright?"  

Baekhyun stares at him for a while, unable to look away. Chanyeol was looking at him with furrowed brows, a look he displayed ever since the first time he met him, but this time it was there because of concern, different from the confusion and frustration he usually shows to Baekhyun.  

He thinks he's stared way bit too long, because soon enough, Chanyeol was in front of him, waving his hand to gain his attention, "Are you spacing out or are you being your usual self? You know you should really talk to me more. I mean, you literally just met Jongdae yesterday, and you've already said more words to him than to me. Really, am I not your friend? After all the peanut butter I gave you?" he rambles, and chuckles, successfully hiding the bitterness in his tone. Baekhyun just smiles at him as he listens to him voicing out his thoughts. Chanyeol sees it and looks away, whispering, "Don't look at me like that."  

Baekhyun hears it though, and he wants to ask  _like what?_ but deems it as unimportant, and lets it go. He looks at the window again, sighing. He can't even talk to him properly even if he wants to. He wants to blame the persons responsible for him to act like this — to be wary of everything, to be quiet because they said it was irritating, and to be a stranger even to himself, but he knows it’s partly his fault for not even trying.  

Will he be a better friend if he talks more to Chanyeol? He thinks so. It was the only easy way for him to express his gratitude for letting him stay and for not handing him back to the laboratory, but it was hard. For some reason, he gets tongue tied, unable to speak when Chanyeol looks at him with those warm, brown eyes, reaching to him, and showing something different from the blank stares he usually sees from the past 10 years. He knows it’s welcoming, warm, and it’s always there, asking him to trust him, because he’s a friend he can talk to, a friend who’s willing to help and vice versa.  

So, what’s so hard in talking to Chanyeol, the very first friend he had, after being away from Hawkins after 10 years?  

“I…” he starts, attempting to say something. Chanyeol looks up, stopping from fumbling with his unbuckled belt. He waits for him to say something, but Baekhyun suddenly forgets what he was going to say so he shakes his head and looks back at the window, taking another peek outside, hoping that Chanyeol won’t try to ask anything about his weak attempt of conversing.  

Chanyeol does otherwise, and asks, “What is it?”  

Baekhyun doesn’t answer him, and Chanyeol looks at him with a frown. He thinks he was trying to say something, but he was hesitating to say it. He observes him for a while, looking at Baekhyun, then to what he was doing. He was just looking outside, sighing from time to time, deep in thought. He moves closely towards him, and stops when he’s bending to be on the same level as Baekhyun, his head near him as he looks at what Baekhyun was staring at. He doesn’t know if what he’s assuming is right, but he dares to ask, “Do you want to go outside?”  

Baekhyun looks at him, and sees that Chanyeol was just inches away from him, staring outside, just like what he was doing a few seconds ago. Their distance caught him off guard, but he doesn’t move away as he continues to stare at Chanyeol’s side profile, silently admiring his clean, unbruised face, different from Baekhyun who has a few now unnoticeable cuts. Chanyeol seems to feel his gaze, and looks at him, his eyes widening upon noticing how close they were. They held eye-contact for a while, and Chanyeol thinks he lost his breath, looking at Baekhyun up close with the same look he’s been giving him.  

A small smile appears on Baekhyun, and Chanyeol can’t help looking at his thin lips, his gaze lingering a little, and he’s sure Baekhyun caught him doing it. Panicked, he moves away, stands up, and runs a hand through his hair, chuckling nervously as Baekhyun gazes up to look at him. Chanyeol closes his eyes, takes a few deep breaths, calming himself down, and chastising himself for even thinking something  _weird_ as checking if Baekhyun’s lips were just as soft as it looks.  

When he already feels calm enough to speak, he looks at Baekhyun and asks, “So, do you want to go out?” Just when Baekhyun opens his mouth to answer, Chanyeol realizes that it sounds rather different when phrased like that so before Baekhyun could even say something, he corrects himself, “What I meant was, do you want to go outside?”   

Baekhyun looks at him, confused, as if he wants to ask whether there was a difference between the two questions. Chanyeol pretends to not see that, and instead waits for Baekhyun’s answer. Baekhyun nods at him, and returns on looking outside, not making an inch to move, since he’s expecting Chanyeol to say something that would convince him to not go outside because it was  _too_ dangerous for him. Baekhyun’s well aware of that, but he’s also aware that he can do something about it, that he could hide just as well as he could hide in his cabin. Besides, he thinks the change in him did the work, and it would take several glances for him to be recognized. Still, he’s expecting Chanyeol to prevent him from having such ridiculous ideas.  

That’s why when Chanyeol says, “Okay, I’ll make a call to the station and let them know I’ll be working outside.” it caught Baekhyun off guard, surprised that he didn’t even try to make him consider that being outside would only cause him more harm than good.  

He stands up excitedly, and he can’t help grinning at Chanyeol, who’s currently looking at him with wide eyes, the telephone near his ear left forgotten. Baekhyun thinks he can hear someone screaming  _Hello?!_ in the distance, and it seems to work on snapping Chanyeol out of his trance and focus on who he’s talking to.  

“Uh, yeah, so,” Chanyeol clears his throat, unable to speak coherently after seeing Baekhyun grin at him. He thought he was just imagining it, because Baekhyun rarely did it. In fact, it was the  _first time_ he did it, and it caught Chanyeol off guard, who was used on seeing Baekhyun either with a blank look or just having a small smile on his face. Chanyeol hears a series of  _hello_ s and curses from the phone, and it was enough for him to stop him from where his thoughts were heading, “Jongdae.”  

“What? Why are you not here yet?” Jongdae asks, annoyed at being disturbed from what he was doing just to answer Chanyeol’s phone call.   

“I swear, sometimes you sound like my boyfriend asking updates about my whereabouts, being jealous and all,” he jokes, and he can hear Jongdae pretending to throw up with what he just heard, “I’m kidding. Can you cover up for me? I’m thinking of working outside today. I’ll be patrolling the entire Hawkins.”  

“Are you serious? You know that doesn’t work that way. You’ll have to be assigned by the Chief —“  

“Yeah, yeah, I know that, but listen,” Chanyeol tries to persuade him, “I really think it would be best if I’m out of the station. Madman Heechul made it look like I had insane plans with the laboratory and stuff like that. So, I think it’s best if I steer clear from that for a while, and try to not gain some attention about it.”  

“You’re  _not_  gaining attention from it! You’re just making excuses!” Jongdae exclaims, “You know that Chief Kim would still look for you, right? We’re getting a lot of cases now,  _unsolved_ ones, and we already have a job, and now you have the decency to ask  _me_ to ask the Chief for you to be assigned to patrolling!?”   

“I’m not making any excuses,” Chanyeol says, defensive, “It’s true. I just don’t want to cause any more trouble —“  

“—It would only make you more suspicious, honestly,” Jongdae says, cutting Chanyeol off, and after a few seconds of silence, he hears him sigh, “I’ll just try.”  

“Thanks, Jongdae. I owe you lots,” he says, “Page me if there’s something urgent that the Chief wants us to do. I’ll be there in no time.”  

“Whatever,” Jongdae says, “I know you’re asking me to do this so that you and Baekhyun could go on a date.”  

“I’m not—“  

“—Well, consider this as a gift from me. Better kiss that or else I’ll be reporting to the Chief of how you’re slacking off,” Jongdae threatens.  

“We’re  _not_  going to have a date,” Chanyeol denies, “Whatever. This isn't high school anymore. I’m not slacking off, but if you’re going to report that then I’m okay with it as long as you keep your mouth shut about Baekhyun, then we’re good.”  

“Geez, I know that already. Just enjoy your date and don’t miss the chance to kiss that ass,” Jongdae says and hangs up before Chanyeol can even reply.  

Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun and he sees him standing near the door, waiting for Chanyeol to end the call. He looks at him expectantly, his grin turning into the usual small smile plastered on his face. Chanyeol feels at ease as he looks at Baekhyun.  

“Peanut butter,” Baekhyun says and points at his door, expecting him to take him to a place that has peanut butter.  

Chanyeol genuinely laughs at him, shaking his head as he walks towards the door, “Let’s go to the market first, then.”   

And judging by the grin on Baekhyun’s face, Chanyeol knows Baekhyun’s more than happy with the idea.  

 

 

If Chanyeol doesn't know who Baekhyun truly is, he would've thought he's a local in Hawkins.   

It's just that, looking at him in an outsider's perspective, he kind of blends in pretty well. It was like Hawkins is the place for Baekhyun, and it’s a home made for him.  

When he got off the car, the first thing he did was clasp his hands while he looks around, admiring the old ladies selling the usual vegetables and other food in a low price. Before he could even tell Baekhyun that the peanut butter he's looking for wasn't particularly on that side of the market, Baekhyun was already walking away from him, eager to see the rest of the market.   

"Baek, wait up!" Chanyeol says, jogging towards Baekhyun's side. When he's already by his side, he sees Baekhyun looking around, smiling, and Chanyeol wonders what he's thinking about for him to have such pretty smile on his face. It seems like they have no problems that they have to face, and it’s just… calm, normal, and all they could feel was happiness.  

Still, Chanyeol can't help doing the same thing Baekhyun was doing, looking around, inspecting the place, cautious, just in case he sees someone suspecting him and Baekhyun. He just hopes Baekhyun did something so that he won't be easily recognized. He looks the same in Chanyeol's eyes, but knowing Baekhyun, he probably altered something in his appearance so that no one would approach him and cause him harm. But it doesn't stop Chanyeol from being wary around his surroundings, mentally beating himself up for not even having any idea as to who should they avoid. Chanyeol wasn't familiar with any people from the laboratory, so he doesn't know who exactly he should look out for.   

"Hey there," a vendor approached them, and Baekhyun looks at her with wide eyes, surprised that someone approached them despite looking uninterested in anything. The local doesn't pay no heed though and raises her tray and asks, "Want to try some pie?"  

Baekhyun wants to try, but he stops himself. It was from a stranger, and he wasn't sure whether it was safe to get one, so he looks at Chanyeol, his eyes quietly asking whether it was okay to do so. Chanyeol understands it, and takes the initiative to try it out first, "Hey, can I have one first? My friend seems to be hesitating a bit, since he doesn't know whether he'll like it or not." he excuses.  

The vendor nods at him, delighted, "Of course, officer!”  

Chanyeol takes one and thanks the vendor. He takes a bite, and it was delicious, in his own opinion, its sweet taste never leaving his tongue, "It's good," Chanyeol says and turns to Baekhyun who's looking at him, observing whether it had any side effects, "Here. Try it," Chanyeol says and brings the food up to Baekhyun's mouth, urging him to taste it.   

Baekhyun takes a bite, and his eyes round when the sweet taste reaches the back of his throat. Without hesitating, he takes the rest of the pie from Chanyeol's hand and eats it in one go. Chanyeol chuckles and looks at the vendor genuinely smiling at Baekhyun, "It seems that he liked it." he says.  

"Ah, I'm glad," the vendor says, giggling, "Well, if you want more, you can drop by our stall."  

"Yeah, thanks," Chanyeol says, nodding.  

"I'll be expecting," the vendor replies back and turns to his heel, looking for another person to try their pie, but before she leaves, he hears her say, "You look cute together, by the way."  

Before Chanyeol could even react, the girl was already sprinting towards a different direction, leaving him with Baekhyun who's done eating the rest of his pie. He continues to stare ahead, confused as to why the girl had such idea. He remembers that even Jongdae was thinking that there was something going on between them, and he wonders what he's doing for them to even think that way. He doesn't even feel anything for Baekhyun, other than the urge to protect him and give in to what he wants with just one pleading look.  

He feels a tug on his sleeve, so he looks at Baekhyun and sees him pointing at a stall selling drinks. He lets him lead the way, his fingers still gripping on Chanyeol's sleeve, and Chanyeol stares at it for a while, until they reach to a stop.   

The vendor greets them and says, "Try out this cucumber juice. It's our bestseller for today."  

Chanyeol gets one, tasting it, and it was sweet because of the sugar added to it, but nonetheless, the taste of fresh cucumber was still there. Chanyeol turns to Baekhyun, and brings the cup to his lips, "It tastes okay. You should try it."  

Baekhyun scrunches his nose in distaste and pushes Chanyeol's hand away, spilling some of the juice of Chanyeol’s hand. He shakes his head and points at the lemonade on the side, "Lemonade."  

"You don't like cucumber?" he asks, and Baekhyun just kept shaking his head, scrunching his nose, remembering the unpleasant smell of the juice that Chanyeol wants him to try. Chanyeol sighs, and brings out some of his pocket money, paying for the lemonade that Baekhyun wants. He gives it to Baekhyun, and Baekhyun drinks it in one go, not even offering him or asking him whether he wants one too. Chanyeol shakes his head and jokingly says, "You didn't even offer me one, you ungrateful weirdo."  

Baekhyun doesn't catch the joke, though and he thought Chanyeol was serious, so he turns back to the stall, and Chanyeol follows him, frowning, a question already on the tip of his tongue. Chanyeol sees Baekhyun looking at the vendor, staring into her eyes, and suddenly, the vendor says, "You can have one. For free." She gives a cup to Chanyeol, and Chanyeol looks at her, confused, because it was so random of her to do that. Like she was just urged to do it, controlled. Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun who's looking up at him, smiling, and Chanyeol knows Baekhyun did something for it to happen.  

Chanyeol shakes his head, and bows apologetically, "It's okay. You don't have to give me one for free. I'm okay with the cucumber juice. We'll go now."  

Before the vendor could even reply, Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun away from the stall, "You shouldn't have done that. It's not right."  

Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol, frowning, "You said you wanted one."  

While Chanyeol is surprised that Baekhyun said something more than one word, he doesn't forget the point of the conversation, "It was a joke. And it was wrong for you to control her mind like that. It's technically called stealing. I'm fine with the cucumber juice."  

"The cucumber does not even smell good," Baekhyun says absentmindedly, thinking of the smell of the cucumber reaching his nose. He guesses by the smell that it wasn't something pleasant to eat, "It does not taste well, too."  

"It does, and it tastes a lot better because it's  _free,_ " Chanyeol says, and sighs. Baekhyun looks down, as if he wants to say sorry to Chanyeol. Chanyeol runs a hand through his hair and says, "It's okay. Just... avoid playing with their minds if it's unnecessary for you to do so."  

Baekhyun nods, not saying anything else. They continue to walk around quietly, and Baekhyun stops when he remembers something. He looks at Chanyeol and says, "Peanut butter."  

Chanyeol laughs and scratches the back of his neck, "I forgot about that. Right this way," he says and leads the way to a nearby convenience store. Baekhyun follows him quietly, his eyes still wandering around, looking for something that would catch his interest.  

He stops when he sees a small jewelry booth, the silver glinting under his eyes, and he finds it hard to avoid looking at it. He stops in front of it, not bothering Chanyeol to tell him that he wants to look at it. He stares at the different necklaces and bracelets in front of him, admiring it for its simple, yet beautifully crafted design. The owner looks at him and smiles, "Can I help you with something?"  

Chanyeol continues walking, unaware that Baekhyun wasn't behind him. Only when he notices that there's no light footsteps following him does he turn around and sees that Baekhyun was nowhere behind him. He panics, because  _holy shit, did he just lose Baekhyun?_ He looks around, looking for the familiar silver hair, and he lets out a breath he's holding when he sees him in a booth not far away from him. He marches towards it, relieved.  

"Stop giving me mini heart attacks, god, I’m going to die early because of you," he says, and Baekhyun looks at him apologetically. He returns his gaze at the different jewelries in front of him, and Chanyeol just stands there, looking at Baekhyun, admiring the way he admires the jewelries displayed. When Baekhyun doesn’t look at his way, he then focuses on the owner and is surprised to see a familiar face, "Oh, Zitao, it's you."  

"Officer Park," Zitao says and bows, "Is he with you?" he asks and points at Baekhyun who still has his head down, looking at each of the jewelry. Chanyeol nods at him, smiling. He sees Baekhyun's gaze lingering on a certain bracelet,  _Fearless,_ it says. He traces the letters it has, feeling the silver tingle on his skin.  

"Do you want that?" Chanyeol asks, and Baekhyun just looks at him, then he shyly shakes his head. Chanyeol smiles and picks it up, "Why don't you try it out? I think it'll suit you." he says, and reaches for Baekhyun's wrist, his  _004_ visible as he rolls up his sleeve, and try to put the bracelet on.   

Zitao sees it, "Hey, is that tattoo real?" he asks, interested, yet also curious because he's sure he has seen it somewhere. He looks at Baekhyun who's staring at him with wide eyes, hiding his wrist behind his back, "It looks familiar.... actually,  _you_ look familiar. Have we met each other?" he asks.  

Chanyeol nervously chuckles, "I'm sure you haven't met him. He's new here. He arrived here a few days ago."   

Zitao shakes his head, adamant, "I really think I've seen him somewhere,” he says and tries hard to remember where he has seen him. His eyes widen when he remembers that time he was in Wu's diner, the day before Yifan's death. He looks at the guy again, who's now glaring at him. He doesn't let himself be affected and asks, "Were you at the —“   

He stops when he hears a voice in his head saying, " _You don't remember me. It was a different person. I am a different person.”_ It was there, and it was swirling in his head, occupying every space in his head, and he struggles to fight it. He suddenly feels lightheaded, making him forget whatever it was he was going to ask.   

"Zitao, are you okay?" Chanyeol asks worriedly upon seeing his acquaintance looking troubled.  

"Huh? Oh, I'm okay. Just felt lightheaded, that's all," he says, still looking at Baekhyun. Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun who doesn't break eye-contact, focused on making Zitao think of something, erasing his thoughts about him. Chanyeol places his hand around his wrist, and it snaps Baekhyun out of his focus. He looks at Chanyeol, frowning, but Chanyeol just shakes his head and smiles at him, mouthing him to stop. Chanyeol keeps his hand on his wrist, and looks at Zitao, who's brows were furrowed, confused, "We'll buy the bracelet."  

"The what?" Zitao asks dumbly.  

"The fearless bracelet?" Chanyeol asks, unsure, and Zitao nods at him, and tells him the price. Chanyeol lets go of Baekhyun's wrist to get his wallet to pay for it. Once he gets the money, he places his wallet back on his pocket, and reaches for Baekhyun's wrist, holding it gently. He pays for the bracelet, nods, and says, "See you around, Zitao."  

Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun away from the booth, exhaling, "That was close. I'm glad you did something. I was internally panicking."  

Baekhyun looks at him, frowning, "You are not mad?" he asks, remembering that Chanyeol didn't want him to control other people's minds while they were still in the market, saying that it was unnecessary for him to do so.   

"Why would I be? I mean, it was necessary. He knew something about you," Chanyeol explains, "I'm glad that's over."   

Baekhyun nods at him, letting him lead the way since Chanyeol's hand remain circled on his wrist. He doesn't mind though, because it was different from the forceful dragging he experienced back when he was still in the laboratory. Chanyeol's hand was different from them. It was gentle, warm, and he felt...  _safe_. Very much different from the hell he suffered from.  

"Just stick close to me, okay?" Chanyeol says, and his hand travels down to his, and they continue walking hand in hand. Baekhyun can't help looking at it, his gaze lingering on their clasped hands. Still he hears Chanyeol say, "Don't let go of me, so that I won't lose you."  

 _I won't let go of you,_ Baekhyun wants to reply, but he keeps his lips pursed as he continues to stare at their hands. When Chanyeol notices Baekhyun's gaze, he doesn't think of letting go, instead he squeezes his hand, holding it tighter. He looks at Baekhyun's small frame, slowly calming down, judging by the way his shoulders were not as tensed as a while ago. He remembers the nervous expression he had when Zitao recognized him, afraid that someone would figure out, and the both of them would get in trouble. He doesn't want Baekhyun to have such feeling. After all, he didn't buy the  _Fearless_ bracelet for nothing.  

It suited Baekhyun, not just physically, but his entire personality. For Chanyeol, it was brave of him to be able to get out of the laboratory despite knowing he'll be in trouble. It was brave of him to go to the Unknown and see the darker side, and Chanyeol admires him for that. So, when he saw Baekhyun fearing for his life, he had the sudden urge to protect him, to tell him that he doesn't have anything to fear, even though he knows it's not entirely true. Still, he wants Baekhyun to know that he's his friend and he wants to be there for him.   

He looks at Baekhyun, and he doesn't know where he got the courage the next words that comes out of his mouth, "I'll protect you."  

Baekhyun looks at him, his eyes warm, and he could see it smiling despite Baekhyun not actually showing it. He shyly looks down, biting his bottom lip to stop himself from smiling.  

 _I'll protect you too._   

 

 

Not much happened that day. After getting the desired peanut butter, with Baekhyun grinning, and making Chanyeol lose his breath and blinding him with it, they return to car and drive around Hawkins. He noticed how Baekhyun's gaze lingered when they were near the Hawkins Train Station, but he didn't try and pry since he was busy interrogating one of the workers from there, seeing him violating some rules in Hawkins. Chanyeol sticked to the idea of patrolling instead of going back to the station since Jongdae didn’t channel him any message, he guesses that everything was alright in the station.  

When Baekhyun took a nap in his seat, Chanyeol stayed quiet, drumming his fingers on his wheels as he continues to look around, checking if everything was okay, or if there’s trouble in some place. From time to time, he would take a glance at Baekhyun, peacefully sleeping by his side, as if he doesn’t have any problems that involves his whole safety.  

It was past noon when Baekhyun woke up, the sun was already setting, and it was starting to get dark in Hawkins. The street lights were slowly lighting up, showing Hawkins’ beauty at night. Chanyeol can feel the warm breeze hitting his skin when he opens his window, and Baekhyun, who’s looking at him quietly, smiles, feeling calm as they drive around Hawkins.  

“Hey, why don’t we listen to some music on the way home?” Chanyeol asks. Baekhyun just nods at him, “Any particular requests?” he asks, but Baekhyun only shook his head, waiting for Chanyeol to put on whatever good song he thinks would fit to his taste.  

Chanyeol turns on the radio, switching it to a certain channel. He smiles when he hears a familiar song,  _Ice Ice Baby,_ playing in the radio. He bops his head to it, whispering  _Ice Ice Baby_ under his breath, the same way the singer was doing it. Baekhyun was just looking at him, his eyes smiling. The song wasn’t familiar to him, but the way Chanyeol was tapping his fingers on his wheels as he sings along it was amusing for him.  

They continue listening to different songs like that, mostly it was just Chanyeol singing along, since Baekhyun wasn’t familiar to the new songs that Chanyeol loves jamming into. So, Chanyeol tries to find a song that would somehow be familiar for Baekhyun. He tries to change different channels, some of them were talking about the news, some were love stories that he doesn’t really have interest to, the next channel were love songs, something that wasn’t exactly part of his interest. He was about to go to the next station, but Baekhyun stops him, putting his hands on his arms, peering closely as  _Endless Love_ plays on the radio.  

Baekhyun doesn’t know why, but for some reason, he knows the song, as if he’s heard it somewhere, but he isn’t sure where. He hums along to it, and Chanyeol just kept on listening to him as he takes a turn on the street.   

The song was calming, and it could give so much feelings to a person who’s listening to it. Baekhyun just sits there, listening to it quietly, and he doesn’t notice his eyes welling up as he listens to it. He doesn’t know why but he feels like the song has a special place in his heart.  

“…my endless love,” he says, his brows furrowed, thinking about where he heard it.   

Chanyeol notices him and asks, “Baek, are you alright?”  

Baekhyun looks at him, and he sees the warm gaze Chanyeol gives him before focusing on the road.  _Your eyes tell me how much you care,_ he remembers. Baekhyun continues to look at him, and Chanyeol feels the heavy gaze on him, but he doesn’t try to look back.   

The song comes to an end, with Baekhyun just staring at Chanyeol as he tries to think of why a song has so much impact on him. Chanyeol would usually take a glance on him, but not too long, since he was driving, but in every short glance he shoots at him, he could see the concern in Chanyeol’s eyes.  

Soon enough, another love song plays,  _(Everything I Do) I Do It for You_. Chanyeol doesn’t try to switch channels, and decides to listen to the song. Baekhyun seems to do the same, looking out the window, quietly listening to the song.   

It was quiet, but none of them choose to break it. However, it gets broken when Chanyeol’s pager beeps, so as his transceiver, and a panicked Jongdae speaks, “Park, we have to go to Light & Dark Hotel! It’s an emergency!”  

“What!? What happened!?”  

“A dead body was found!” he says, rushed.

“Yeah, we’re on our way,” Chanyeol says into the receiver.  

“Listen to me, okay!?” Jongdae says urgently, and when Chanyeol doesn’t answer, he continues, “You have to hurry. The person… she…”  

“She what?” Chanyeol asks impatiently, his blood rushing as he tries to speed up to the Light & Dark Hotel. He doesn’t know why but he’s got a bad feeling about what’s happening.  

And when Jongdae says the next words, his hunch was confirmed, “It’s your sister, Chanyeol.”  

Chanyeol steps on his brakes immediately, surprised with what Jongdae said. He doesn’t fight the tears that flows down on his face, and he chokes a sob. Jongdae hears him, “Mate, I’m sorry about it. But you have to hurry. Your mother’s also there…”  

Chanyeol looks up, trying to prevent his tears from falling, but fails. He wipes his tears harshly, trying to talk some sense into himself, and gets back on driving. He tries to calm himself down before answering Jongdae, “Okay, we’re… we’re on our way.”  

“Is Baekhyun with you?” Jongdae asks.  

“Yeah,” Chanyeol responds meekly, losing all his energy and good mood after the news.  

“Stay alert. The people in the Hawkins National Laboratory are also there. They’re there for autopsy.”  

“Will do,” Chanyeol says, remembering that he still has an obligation with Baekhyun, and that’s when Jongdae ends the conversation.  

The silence in the car was deafening, no more music in the background. Only Chanyeol’s quiet sobs could be heard. His breathing becomes ragged. He feels suffocated, unable to breathe, to the point that he had to unbutton the first two buttons of his uniform, catching his breath. He breathes deeply, gripping onto his steering wheel tighter than the usual.   

He doesn’t understand. One second, he feels like there’s hope that his sister was still alive, that he’ll be able to spend some time with her someday, and now all of those comes crashing down. His sister was _dead._ And it hurts so much to even think about it. He’s been trying to look for clues, for answers, and all those years are now wasted. 10 years, and all of those goes down the drain. His sister was dead… and he wasn’t able to look for him, to save him.  

“Yeol,” Baekhyun calls him, his voice soothing. Chanyeol doesn’t look at him and continues looking ahead, driving faster to reach Light & Dark Hotel, “Yeol, Three…”  

“She’s  _dead,_ Baekhyun,” he says coldly. Baekhyun was taken aback. Chanyeol laughs humorlessly, “What are you going to say? That she’s alive?”  

Baekhyun doesn’t say anything after that, keeping his lips pursed. He doesn’t want to assume things, but he  _has_ to see it. Three was also a friend of his, and he hates the idea of losing a friend, but something about the sudden death is wrong, at least for Baekhyun. He has to see her. He can’t accept it that he lost a friend, and a close one at that matter.   

But his wrong feeling wasn’t about that. His mind travels back to the last time he was in that world, and there was Three, trapped in vines, unable to move. It was impossible for her to escape, given that she’s a prisoner of the man. So, how was she able to go back to Hawkins, and kill… herself? It doesn’t make any sense for Baekhyun, but if it’s true… then… it would be hard for him, and for his friend, Chanyeol.  

 

 

 

“Officer Park,” Chief Kim says, his face blank as he approaches Chanyeol, and taps him, “I’m sorry for your loss.”  

Chanyeol nods at him, and he looks around, seeing the people crowding at the place as they try to get information about the recent incident. He can’t bring himself to care about it. He doesn’t even want to think about it. He feels numb, helpless, as if all the happiness has been sucked out of him. He just can’t his head around the idea that her sister is gone, just like that, without even saying goodbye to them, after all those years of being missing. He didn’t even have the chance to be a brother to her, to spend some time with her… and now, she’s gone, along with Chanyeol’s regrets, hopes, and dreams of being with his sister again.  

Baekhyun stays on the side of his car, still hiding from the prying eyes, thinking of something that would disguise himself. He sees people running around the place, and he could also see a familiar van, the same van that he always saw outside his cell. His heart raced quickly, nervous at the possibility that the people in the laboratory will see him.   

He fixes his gaze on Chanyeol who’s beside his mother, crying her eyes out as she looks at Three on the stretcher. Baekhyun walks towards it knowing that no one could see him for a while. He  _needs_ to see Three, to know if it’s real. He knows it isn’t right to think of everything as fake, but his gut feeling was telling him something.  

He walks towards it, peering closely at the cold body on the stretcher. He tries to not make any contact with anyone, since it would blow his cover. It wasn’t hard anyway, since the only people present around Three were his family and a bunch of people from the laboratory. He looks at Three, and it definitely looks like her. His heartbeat quickens,  _it can’t be._ He was so sure that Three was still alive, that he could help Chanyeol reach her to keep her alive.  _It can’t be_ , he says repeatedly in his head. He scans her lifeless body, cold, as if it’s been like that for days. He feels his blood rush out of him,  _it can’t be._   

Baekhyun breathes in and out, averting his gaze away from Three’s face. He could feel his tears prickling in his eyes. He tries not to look at his now lifeless friend, and he darts his eyes somewhere else.  

And that’s when he sees it.  _Her wrist._ Baekhyun’s mouth parts, shocked. Every test subject in the Hawkins National Laboratory had a number tattooed on their wrist.  _003_ was hers, and what once was there is now gone.  _It can’t be,_ Baekhyun thought. There he sees Three, but in a different light. The Three in front of him didn’t have her tattoo, and if he looks at her carefully, he doesn’t see any trace of evidence that she was in Unknown. If he remembers it correctly, the vines were tightly gripping onto her arms, and he’s sure that it would bruise. The Three in front of him, was void of any bruise, of any marks, even from the marks that she got when she was in the laboratory.  _It can’t be._   

The lifeless person in front of him was  _definitely_ not Three.  

Baekhyun locks gaze with Chanyeol, and he points at Three, shaking his head furiously. Chanyeol looks at him, his brows furrowed, confused with what he’s trying to say.  

At the distance, Chanyeol could hear Reporter Bae reporting the incident, “…It is said that the missing child of the Parks, Park Yoora, is dead due to an unknown reason. The Hawkins National Laboratory has stated that it is possible that the body has been left cold for almost two weeks, considering the fact that Park Yoora has decided to check in at the same time. Recently, it is also said that Park Yoora has tried to contact her family, but it was identified that it was not Park Yoora who did it. Reports show…”  

 _Two weeks?_ Chanyeol thought. It has been  _2 weeks_ since his sister died, and no one else had any idea about it?  _What the hell?_  He could’ve met his sister 2 weeks ago, he could’ve been there to help her,  _save_ her if he had any idea about it. And what is this? The traces that they had when his mother said that his sister tried to contact them was  _nothing?_ Chanyeol feels frustrated, another wave of tears coming, the thought that his sister is gone continuously repeating on his head.   

Chanyeol feels remorse, regrets, and most importantly, disappointment. He wanted to bring justice to his sister, to bring her back to their family. It has been a long time since they saw her, and he misses her. He just wants to feel what it would be like to grow up with a sister, to see his mother smile again and talk to them like the usual. But now, all he could do was cry, wallow in his regrets, and hold his mother as she cries and bawls everything out at the sight of his sister’s lifeless body. He blames himself for not giving up. He blames himself for  _hoping,_ for rising it up, because of Baekhyun.  

 _Baekhyun._ He looks at the said man, and he stands there, pointing at his sister’s body, shaking his head as he looks at him with wide, glassy eyes, “Not her.” he says, and Chanyeol looks at him, frowning because,  _what the fuck is he saying?_   

Chanyeol needs to know, so he walks away from the scene, expecting Baekhyun to follow him. He does, and Baekhyun brisk walks towards him, but the both of them stop when Jongdae talks to Chanyeol, “Chanyeol, I’m sorry about what happened…” he says, and Chanyeol just nods at him and moves aside, but Jongdae follows him, looking like he wants to say something more.  

Chanyeol stops and faces him, “Listen, Jongdae, I have to talk to Baekhyun.”  

“But I don’t see —“ Jongdae stops, realizing that Baekhyun was doing something again so that he won’t be seen, “I hope you don’t blame him, Chanyeol.” he ends up saying, pats his back, and leaves the place. Chanyeol doesn’t listen to him and continues walking soullessly towards his car. Baekhyun continues to follow him, looking on the ground, and nervous with the way Chanyeol looks so cold and out of reach.   

Chanyeol leans on his car, his arms crossed as he waits for Baekhyun to catch up to him.  He taps his foot impatiently, his mind not thinking clearly, and the only thing he can think of was the fact that his sister is  _gone,_ and they're all left with a hole in their heart.   

Baekhyun stops in front of him, playing with his fingers as he tries to find the right words for Chanyeol to understand. Chanyeol wasn’t in the mood to wait, so he says, “What do you want?”  

“Three…” Baekhyun starts, attempting to say what he wants, but he purses his lips when he sees Chanyeol’s eyes roll, scoffing, “Her name’s Yoora, Baekhyun.”  

Baekhyun nods, afraid to talk back to  _this_ Chanyeol — a Chanyeol that has lost all the tenderness in his voice, all the warmness that covered his aura. Still, he needs to say it. He breathes deeply, looks at Chanyeol in the eye and says, “Yoora... she is not dead.”  

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Chanyeol spits, his voice dangerously low, “Did you not see the body? What nonsense are you even saying!?”  

“She is not dead!” he exclaims, insistent, “Her wrist—“  

“Stop,  _stop!_ Stop telling me lies! Stop keeping my hopes up! Stop giving me stupid ideas and making me  _feel_ things! I should’ve not believed you. I should’ve sticked to the thought that you’re some crazy ass that escaped the laboratory because of the stupid voices inside your head!” he angrily says, his chest heaving up and down, and he can feel all the frustration building up in his chest. He can’t control the things that he wants to say, and all his anger, his  _feelings_  that he’s been trying to suppress are released as he vents it all out on Baekhyun. He knows Baekhyun doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of it but all his mind was thinking about was that  _this is all because of Baekhyun._   

“I am not lying!” Baekhyun defends himself, and he stands firm on his ground, “She is  _not_  dead! Listen to me—“  

“—I will  _not_  listen to you! Not anymore. You think I’ll believe you after seeing a  _dead_ body in front of me? Well, news flash! I’m not stupid enough to believe another set of your lies just to convince myself that there’s hope. I’m not crazy, unlike  _you_ ,” he hisses, “I’ll  _never_ believe you again.”  

Baekhyun doesn’t stop, and reaches for Chanyeol’s hand, but Chanyeol was quick enough to evade it, pushing it away harshly, making Baekhyun stumble. He forgets that he doesn’t have to make contact with anyone and instead he tries to reach him, “Please—“  

Chanyeol grips on his arm to stop him, and it’s tight,  _too_ tight, and it’s hurting Baekhyun, and Chanyeol knows it but he doesn’t care. He looks straight into Baekhyun’s eyes, his eyes red, fiery,  _deadly,_ “Don’t look at me like  _that._ It’s not going to work,” he says through gritted teeth, “You know what you should do? You should stop playing with people’s minds and start minding your own because, huh, in case you didn’t know, it’s a fucking mess inside your head! Go back to that stupid laboratory because that’s where you belong, you  _psycho!”_  he says, and pushes Baekhyun to the ground, and Baekhyun was too weak to even try and gain his composure. He was trembling, shaking from fear. His arm feels heavy, and he knows it’ll bruise. He can’t look into Chanyeol’s eyes. It was different, scary — he had the same look with the people he loathed.  

While Baekhyun stays on the ground, his lips quivering, and the tears in his eyes getting ready to fall, he sees Chanyeol looking down on him, his eyes showing different emotions, yet the hard look he gives Baekhyun was overpowering each of it. It sends shivers down to Baekhyun's spine, but he can't bring himself to look away. Chanyeol's fists were balled, shaking with anger, "I don't need you anymore," he spits, turning his back on Baekhyun, but he stops, giving Baekhyun one last deadly look, "I hope to  _never_ see you again."  

And just like that, Chanyeol walks away, leaving Baekhyun behind along with all of his trust and friendship that he had given him.  

 

 

 

There's a hole in Chanyeol's heart that no one could ever replace, that no one could ever fill in. He doesn't know how else would he be able to recover, to move on and go on with his life knowing that the person he's been trying to look for all these years is now  _gone,_ as if she never existed in anyone's life.  It's hard to wrap around the idea of it, but the only thing he could do was... live, like the usual chore he's been doing for the past 10 years.  

He stays there, lying on his floor, staring at his ceiling, with only the dim light accompanying him. Chanyeol, in all honesty, feels nothing. All of his regrets, despair, and disappointments have vanished, leaving him with nothing else to hold, nothing else to be covered. It seems that the world has suddenly turned its back on him, giving him no chance to see another side of it. For once, he doesn't know what to do. His mind's blank, useless, hopeless, and he's... lost, and he doesn't know whether he'll still find his way back.   

For the first time in so many years, Chanyeol has accepted defeat.   

He knows he has to go for work soon, and as much as he wants to wallow in pain, he can't, because he has responsibilities which involve him, faking every laugh, every smile, every strength that he's been trying to instill to himself. What he loved once had suddenly lost its meaning. He had reached his dead end, and there’s no way he could turn back.  

Yet one thing that’s stopping him from living his life meaninglessly was the telephone that kept ringing for the past 20 minutes. He sits up, feeling like he’s about to slump. He continues to ignore the ringing as he looks around the now empty, lifeless, dark, and quiet room that has been previously covered with all the warmth, happiness and perseverance that he could muster out of his heart. It was different now, especially that not only Yoora is gone, but also…  _Baekhyun_.  

Baekhyun who had turned his life upside down in a couple of days that he has been with him. He became a person that had high hopes, a person that had suddenly seen the light that Baekhyun could offer, yet all of those is now gone, along with the company that he had longed for all these years. He admits that past few days have been a rollercoaster ride, a turn in his life that he never expected to come, and in all those days he had seen a potential story to tell, another chapter of his book he had hoped that would continue, yet had ended because of him, forcing it to end along with other of his hopes, his dreams, and his deepest desires that he’s been trying to keep, thinking that it would only hinder him from his ultimate goal. Now that he lost the thing that he’s been holding onto all these years, he had fallen back to the ground, leaving everything out of his grasp. Including Baekhyun who gave him light metaphorically and literally.  

It seems like his world had suddenly turned dark without his guiding light.  

He doesn’t know why he said those words, and why Baekhyun chose to believe in them, but one thing’s for sure is that he never meant to say it to him. It felt as if he only saw Baekhyun as something he badly needs, and once he’s done, all he gotta do is throw him to the garbage, without turning back. Baekhyun isn’t and will never be like that. Sure, at first, he needed something from him but he was willing to be a friend, a loyal companion, and someone that he could believe in. Yet everything had crumbled down because even if Chanyeol wants to give him friendship, he can’t. Not when Baekhyun keeps on telling him lies about his sister.  

Chanyeol believed him when he said he had an ability, no doubt he does. But he never meant to call him mental. He was far from it, and Chanyeol vividly remembers that he had once thought about Baekhyun being fearless, and wise in his own way, yet all his doubts had him saying those words that he’ll never be able to take back. Maybe it’s also because of the fact that what he needed last night was a friend, and not another mystery that he has to solve. He’s tired, drained, and miserable and yet all Baekhyun had to say to him were  _lies_  — lies that only infuriated him. Baekhyun looked so sure, as if he wanted Chanyeol to believe in him once more, but Chanyeol wanted  _him_ to be someone he could lean on, yet he never became one. So, how can someone blame him for saying such words?  

He heaves a sigh, ruffling his hair, thinking of everything that had happened last night. His thoughts didn’t let him sleep, eating him alive, drowning him in the countless what ifs that he has.   

Reluctantly, he stands up, clearing his mind with anything that’s been bothering him despite knowing how hard it would be. The telephone’s been ringing all this while, and by now, he feels like it would be something that he would hear even if it’s not there.   

Huffing, he answers groggily, “Hello?”  

“Park! I’m so glad you answered, Jesus Christ,” Jongdae says, sighing out of relief, “Your mother has been trying to reach you all morning, but you weren’t answering, and she got worried. She called the station, and I’m asked to relay to you the message.”  

He doesn’t answer, not in the mood to reply in any snarky way.   

“Man, I know it’s been a rough night,” Jongdae says, sensing that Chanyeol was purposely keeping quiet, “But your mother wants to tell you to go to the Hawkins National Laboratory later to check your sister. And I know that you don’t want to go to the station today, but Chief wants to talk to you about something, and I think it’s important so…”  

“I’ll go,” Chanyeol answers, “Thanks,” he says and ends the call, sighing.  

He looks around the empty house, missing the person that he had been staring at every time he looks out the window, observing the people around him. Baekhyun did it in every morning that he was with Chanyeol, and somehow, despite having him for only a couple of days, it seems as if Baekhyun belonged in there, and it would be normal for Chanyeol to stare at him as he does so. Chanyeol looks away, unused to it.  

If it was any other day, he would be shitting on his pants, nervous because of the talk with the Chief. He’d wonder what it is about, and of course, Chanyeol being Chanyeol, he would be overthinking everything. Thoughts about being fired, demoted, a warning — all of those would probably run in his head, yet today isn’t one of those days. Chanyeol thinks, his days will never be the same no matter how much he wants things to never change.   

Chanyeol sighs.  _It’s going to be a long day._   

 

 

“Chief, you asked for me?” Chanyeol says, entering the Chief’s office.   

Chief Kim was doing the usual, looking at his paperworks while sipping some coffee. Chanyeol sees him as a calm, unmoved, and quiet, but inside, he’s a tough person, a monster when it comes to work. Not that Chanyeol has any problem with that. As a matter of fact, Chanyeol envies him for having a strong background that he would, most probably, bring until the day of his death comes. He made a name to the town, contributed so much that people can bow down to him with respect. He doesn’t work with a partner, and even if Chanyeol is the Deputy Chief, he isn’t anywhere near to the Chief’s ranking, and Chanyeol doesn’t intend to steal it from him. Chanyeol wants that, but he knows he  _can’t_ have that.   

Oh well, Chanyeol doesn’t care anymore anyway, so it’s not exactly a loss.  

Chief Kim looks up, puts his coffee down and points at the seat near to his desk, “Officer Park, yes, I wanted to talk to you.”  

Chanyeol nods, and sits down, waiting for Chief Kim to say something. He’s already trying to think of any farewell message if he’s now out of the job. He doesn’t care if the Chief knew about him keeping Baekhyun, and he would gladly take the consequence if he does know. He can’t find any reason to oppose to it. He doesn’t have anything to offer, anyway, so the only thing he could do is to expect the worst.   

Chief Kim straightens up, clears his throat and says, “You’re a good officer, Park. A dedicated one, a rare type of person that strives to show the best in every work. I give you credit for that, but —“  _there’s the_ but  _that he’s expecting. This is it, he’s out of his job,_ Chanyeol overthinking, sighing, “— but I would understand if you’d prefer to leave your duties for a while, and come back when everything’s fine with you. I understand the pain of losing someone. As a matter of fact, I see myself in you 20 years ago.”  

Chanyeol snaps his head to his direction, surprised, because  _what the fuck? He still has a job?_ And what did the Chief say? That he sees himself in Chanyeol 20 years ago? “What?” he asks, confused, all of his thoughts leaving him for a while.   

“I lost my son in 1972,” Chief Kim says, and Chanyeol releases a surprised gasp. He never even knew Chief Kim had a son, let alone a  _son._ He could’ve been a cop, too, like his father and maybe Chanyeol would’ve known him.  

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Chanyeol says, bowing his head.  

“No, it’s okay. It’s a long time ago. I’ve moved on already,” Chief Kim says, shrugging, “I had the same case as you. Except, it’s with my son. One thing you have to know is that his mother left him after he was born, and never returned. Now, it would seem as if it would cause any problem, but in my own perspective, I believed that we were okay, just the both of us, even without the presence of his mother beside him. We did the things most father and sons do, like playing outside, watching sports and all of that. What else was I supposed to think of rather than everything was well and no kind of longing was present in him? That’s what I thought, but then one day, he went missing.”  

When Chanyeol heard that, he gasps, surprised.  _His son got missing, too._   

“Well, this is where things get  _interesting._ I’m guessing you now understand why I remember myself in you,” Chief Kim says, and Chanyeol continues to listen intently, confused, surprised, but still willing to listen, “He went missing, and I tried so hard to look for him. I searched in every part of Hawkins, even the places I know he doesn’t know, but he wasn’t in any part of Hawkins. I remember going crazy, blaming people that do not even know a single thing about it,” Chief Kim says, chuckling, shaking his head upon remembering such memory, “It turns out, he ran away, and he couldn’t come back even if he wanted to because, well, he got caught in an accident.”  

“I’m…” Chanyeol says, speechless, “Sorry to hear that.”  

“No need to say that. It’s all in the past now,” Chief Kim says, and sips on his coffee, “I guess, at some point, I blamed myself. I focused more on my work rather than spending my time with him. I was  _so_ engrossed with getting a higher rank to the point that it seemed that I forgot that I still have a son to raise, but then again, I’m not just working hard for myself, I was also working hard for us to have a stable life, a good one even without the presence of his mother. And all I can think of is how I got lost with my success, blinded by it, that I ended up losing my son in the process.”  

With that, Chief Kim ends his story, his gaze far away, deep in thought. Chanyeol keeps quiet, trying to process everything that the Chief said. If he was in the same position, he would’ve end up thinking of those things too. But what surprised him with what the Chief told him was that deep down, he had his own struggles, his own story that he’s been holding onto, a mark of who he is now, and somehow, with Chanyeol knowing this, his respect for the Chief is higher, and he admires him for who he is now. There’s just one thing that Chanyeol doesn’t understand.  

“Chief, with all due respect,” Chanyeol says, confused, “May I just ask, why are you telling me this?”  

“I wanted you to know that someone could understand what you’re feeling right now,” Chief Kim says and smiles, “Maybe it could be a lesson for you. That you should focus more on the things that you tend to forget to be important, that you shouldn’t lose yourself with temporary things. It may look the most important to you now, but someday, when you’re as old as I am, you’ll realize that there are certain things that need more time for you to achieve, and that there’s no need to rush.” he says.  

Just when Chanyeol thought he was already done, he proceeds with another of his  _lessons,_ something Chanyeol didn’t expect Chief Kim to say to him, “It’s okay if you think about what ifs, of regrets, of what could have beens, but you should also realize that these things happened for a reason, and you’ll soon realize it when it’s already there in front of you. All these lessons, and the last that I could say to you is that, well, I know I’ve said this lots of times, I’m sorry for your loss, but I hope you should still think of the people who care for you and are willing to listen to you especially in cases like these. Don’t shun them away. And if ever there needs further investigation about your sister, we’ll do our best to know all about it. Trust us. Trust  _me._ ”  

 _Trust me,_ he says. Well, maybe he does, because who else can he trust when it comes to work?   

 

 

A few more reminders, and Chanyeol says his thanks to the Chief. His talk with the Chief slightly helped him lessen his burden, it was refreshing, in a sense. It was the type of talk he needed last night, and Chanyeol can’t express how much he’s thankful for it.  

He sees Jongdae by his desk, chewing a gum as he continues to read the newspaper, the sound of the television in the background, not disturbing anyone. Chanyeol plops down on his seat, killing time until he needs to go to the laboratory.  

Jongdae sits up once he sees him, “Hey, Chanyeol. I wanted to talk to you too.”  

“What, are you going to make me listen to your wise words?” Chanyeol jokes, feeling like it.  

“What? No, no. I don’t do those, you know that.” Jongdae replies, rolling his eyes, “I know it’s not the right time for me to say this, but it’s about what happened last night.”  

Chanyeol freezes, not expecting this kind of talk from him, but he wants to hear it while he’s still in a good condition, “What about it?”  

Jongdae hesitates for a bit, but decides that he has to voice it all out, “Don’t you think it’s a little bit suspicious that everything just happened so suddenly? I mean, it’s not that I’m doubting it… but, well okay, I  _am_  doubting it. Come to think of it, just when we’re already having clues and leads about it, and there’s Baekhyun who’s willing to help you, suddenly, she’s gone? I know it’s wrong to think of it that way, but—“  

“—Stop,  _stop._ You’re already sounding like Madman Heechul  _and_ Baekhyun. Has those crackheads gotten into your head?” Chanyeol asks, annoyed, unable to control the words that are coming out of his mouth,  _again_. He doesn’t want the death to be some kind of source of conspiracy theory. God, he just wants them to  _respect_ her, and let Chanyeol mourn for her loss, but lots of people seem to not understand it.  

“No! I’m telling you what I’ve observed. I haven’t had the chance to talk to them. Maybe Baekhyun would be willing to listen to me—“ he stops when he realizes something, “Wait, where is Baekhyun?”  

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol replies, looking away.  

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Jongdae asks, eyes wide, gripping on Chanyeol’s arm, forcing him to look at his direction to coax some answers, “Did you lose him? Did you push him away? You were the one who was so keen on keeping him with you, and you just  _left_ him!? Just because you’ve already found what you were looking for!?”  

Chanyeol is taken aback, guilty of what Jongdae said, but he suddenly feels annoyed, betrayed, “So what if I did? He doesn’t have any use for me! Why do you even care about him? Is it because you still want me to hook up with him? Or did you see him last night run away again, doing the thing he’s best at doing, and he played with your stupid head again to make you believe of his bullshit, and you absolutely have no idea that’s it’s him doing it to you!” he says, his voice loud and he’s sure Chief Kim could hear their exchange.  

“He’s not. I didn’t see him last night, and he’s definitely  _not_ playing with my head. I’m sure of it because he can’t do it anymore even if he wanted to! So—“  

“—This conversation is pointless. I don’t want to hear whatever things you want to say. My sister’s gone, and the both of you should learn how to respect that,” Chanyeol says, huffs and stands up, “If you want me so much to kiss his ass, why not kiss him first since you’re the one who had such ridiculous idea,” he says, reaching for his necessities, before giving Jongdae one last annoyed look, “I’m going.”  

Jongdae doesn’t get to reply because as soon as Chanyeol said that, he scurries off, throwing another irked look at one of his co-officers obviously listening to their fight.  

 _Gossipmongers._   

 

 

It isn’t his first time going to the Hawkins National Laboratory, but it was still overwhelming for him to come here for a reason besides investigation. He was here to check on his sister, to be a relative of someone subject for autopsy. It’s hard to wrap one’s head in that idea, but it’s what he needs to get used to. A life without his sister, just like his life for the past 10 years.  

It should be easy for him – living a life without his sister, but when your hopes comes crumbling down, breaking your heart apart, then it’s from there where the process gets harder, leaving you with no options but to continue living life lesser,  _duller._   

Chanyeol sighs. He can’t continue moping around while he’s out in the public.  

Chanyeol greets the officer guarding the entrance. The officer bows at him as he makes way to the room he was directed to go into. He couldn’t help looking around, and the sight is a little bit… overwhelming, at least for Chanyeol. It wasn’t the type of place he’d like to see everyday, plus the smell of bleach was too powerful, probably because of too much cleaning they do on their white tiled floor. Its walls were also white, and it got Chanyeol wondering how the people here do not get tired of its color, because it’s  _everywhere,_ and it’s exactly how it is the first time he went here for reports regarding a certain investigation they were doing that time.  

Once he sees the room, he enters, and there he sees his mother, looking at his sister from the glass window separating them. She was wearing the usual white gown, along with a mask even if she wasn’t even inside the room where her sister is. Chanyeol guesses it’s required, since before he entered the room, a staff gave him the same set of clothes.   

Beside his mother was a man in the same outfit. The only thing different was that he was wearing white coat, along with a nameplate,  _Oh Sehun,_ it says. He was probably new since he doesn’t recognize him, and he looks as if he’s on the same age as Chanyeol. He was rubbing his mother’s back as an attempt to calm her down. Sehun notices his presence, lets go of his mother for a while, and bows at him. After doing so, he resumes on looking at the window, holding his mother by her shoulder.   

Chanyeol walks towards them quietly, glancing at the window every second. When he reached to their side, another man enters the room,  _Kim Junmyeon._ Chanyeol knows who he is even though he doesn’t even have any nameplate on him. He was the head of the Hawkins National Laboratory, a staff present ever since the 1970s. Although old at age, his physical attributes say otherwise. He looks young, his face looks around at the age of 25 or 26. He doesn’t stagger, nor does he get swayed by the issues that he has faced as part of the laboratory. Chanyeol bets he knows  _everything_ that the Hawkins National Laboratory is trying to hide, the mastermind of it all.   

Kim Junmyeon nods at him before turning his head to his mother, “Mrs. Park, I hope you don’t mind coming with me. You have to sign a few waivers for us to continue with your consent,” he says, and his mother nods at him, waiting for Junmyeon to lead the way. Before leaving, Junmyeon turns to Sehun and says, “Dr. Oh, I expect you to accompany Officer Park while he’s here. You know the rules.”  

Oh Sehun nods, and bows his head. Junmyeon walks away with his mother in tow. Chanyeol just stands there, listening to their conversation.   

Once they leave, Chanyeol looks at his sister’s lifeless body. Her body is covered with a blanket, and the only visible part of her body were her arms, feet, and her head.  

Chanyeol is convinced that his sister is already dead, seeing the lifeless body in front of him, the same sight he saw last night. He doesn’t understand why Jongdae and Baekhyun thought otherwise. Jongdae kept on mentioning something about everything happened fast, and the death being too suspicious. Meanwhile, Baekhyun kept on saying that his sister was alive, which in all Chanyeol’s belief, doesn’t make any sense. He kept mentioning about her wrist. How would someone even know whether one is alive because of her wrist? Well, except if checking for pulse, but he didn’t see Baekhyun touching her sister’s wrist last night (not that he observed him during that time).   

Still, mourning and sad about what happened, he can’t help getting curious of what Baekhyun was talking about.  _Her wrist._ What did he mean by it? All he could think about was about pulses, but Chanyeol’s pretty sure Baekhyun means something else. He tries to think more about it, repeating the word wrist inside his head.  _Wrist, wrist, wrist. What does Baekhyun have on his wrist?_   

Chanyeol’s eyes round when he realizes it.  _Wrist. 004. Tattoo._ Baekhyun was from the laboratory and he had a tattoo on his wrist. Baekhyun knew his sister because she was Three, and it was  _possible — really_ possible — that his sister has the same tattoo. Chanyeol knows that there is a possibility that Baekhyun was lying about it, but then again, how will Baekhyun ever know her if he didn’t meet her somewhere in the same place? They weren’t relatives, that’s for sure, so the only thing Chanyeol could assume was that he was with her when he was imprisoned in the laboratory.

Chanyeol doesn’t want to doubt her death, but… could it be? He  _has_ to know.  

He looks at Sehun and tries his luck, “Hey, uh, is it okay for me to enter the room? I just want to see her one last time…” he excuses, and even looks down to at least look pitiful in front of the doctor.  

Sehun looks at him, a small smile visible on his lips, “Sorry, Officer. I can’t. I have to follow the protocol.”  

“Right, protocols. I know a lot about that,” Chanyeol says, agreeing half-heartedly. He glances back on his sister, staring intently on her arms, but it wasn’t that visible, and he really has to go near her if he wants to see it. He looks at Sehun again, and tries to think of anything else that would distract the man, “Hey, are you new here?”   

Sehun nods instantly, “Yeah, just came here, uh, 2 weeks ago? This is all new to me since we don't really use people as test subjects. I mean, it's not like we  _should_ use them, but I usually just see chemicals here and there, so it's a first for me to see a person in this room.”  

 _Oh wow, talkative. Didn’t need to know that, but oh well._   

"Oh, so it's not a normal occurrence here?" Chanyeol asks, pretending to be interested.  

"It's not. I mean, it has been cleared before that the Hawkins National Laboratory does  _not_ in any way use people as subjects to experiments," Sehun says, his eyes burning with passion as he continues to talk about the Hawkins National Laboratory, "Same with all of you in the Hawkins Police, we don't have so much to do here besides researches that would most likely benefit Hawkins."  

“Oh, aren't we all for the betterment of the town?" Chanyeol says, nodding. He wants to disagree and rub every suspicion that he has about the Hawkins National Laboratory on his face, but he still has some of his sanity left, so he decides not to. Plus, it sucks to hear that he has the idea that the people in the station don't do anything, but he refuses to comment about it, "Say, are they treating you well?" he asks, attempting to continue their small talk.  

“Yes, I mean my job’s not as tough as theirs, but I’m just starting so I’m not really expecting so much,” Sehun explains and scratches the back of his neck, shy yet also proud, “I’m just glad that I got to fulfill my dream, that’s all.”  

“Ah, it’s your dream to work here?” Chanyeol asks, and smiles at him. Sehun nods eagerly. Chanyeol wants to ask how much he knows about the dirt that the Hawkins National Laboratory is trying to hide, but decides against it because he bets that newbie Sehun does not know anything about it, “Then I’m glad that you have achieved your dream. It’s rare to see people who have determination nowadays.”  

“Tell me about it,” Sehun says, and rolls his eyes. Chanyeol notices that he’s getting comfortable with his presence, and it would be a lot easier for him if he at least gets his trust.   

“Well, I wanted to become a cop, too. And I achieved it, so I could say the same with you. All was going well, you know?” Chanyeol says, his tone soft, sad, and it is what he’s feeling, but his plans were underneath it, “But then… my sister died, and just like that I feel like everything’s over.”  

“It’s not really,” Sehun says, rubbing his back the way he did with his mother to comfort her, “It hurts at first, but you have no choice but to accept it. No matter how hard it is. At least you can live your life with memories with her.”   

“There’s not much memories…” Chanyeol says, “She was missing for years, and we missed so much about her. Now that she’s gone, we can’t even make new memories with her.” He says, and even sniffles, rubbing his eyes as if he’s trying to stop unshed tears from flowing.  

“I’m sorry to hear that…”  

“I just want to look at her closely one last time. Is that really not possible?” Chanyeol asks, and looks at Sehun for some answers. Sehun looks away and shakes his head, “I’m sorry. I have to follow them.”  

“That’s a shame then,” Chanyeol says, and straightens up, wiping his ‘tears’ away and glances back on his sister. He _really_ wants to know, and he’s determined to do everything that he can for it to happen. The only thing he could think about is to punch him square on the face and enter the room without having someone stop him, but then it would cause him a lot more punches to knock him out easily, and Chanyeol can't have anyone reporting on him. Then again, he'd have to do things his way if he wants to achieve something. He can be a brute but for a  _good_ purpose, and well, today's no exception to that.  

He decides it would be best if he resorts to violence this time.   

Chanyeol looks around, trying to look for something would somehow distract Sehun. He sees a bunch of metals on a tray just behind him. Chanyeol assumes it's the things that they'd be needing for the autopsy. He glances back on Sehun, and he sees him remaining stoic beside him, his gaze fixed on the glass window, staring at his sister. Chanyeol slowly moves back, his fists balled as he eyes on the tray. Glancing back again at Sehun, he sees that the guy doesn't notice his movement, and he takes it as a good sign. Lifting his fist, he  _slams_ the tray, dropping it down, the metals clanking against the white floor, startling the both of them, but Chanyeol was quick to move, and went back to the same place he was a while ago to not cause any suspicion. Sehun doesn't look his way, and instead he bends down and picks up the tools. Chanyeol steps forward, bending down a little as if to show that he'll help with picking it all up. What Sehun doesn't know is that Chanyeol is trying to aim a hit by kneeing him then kicking him until he knocks him out.  

Just when he was about to do so, the both of them get startled with the sound of a bell ringing, catching the attention of the both of them. Chanyeol steps back as Sehun stands up, listening to the PA System calling for him. Chanyeol looks at him and says, "I think they need you outside."  

"Yeah, I heard it," Sehun says, placing the tools on the tray in a proper order.  

"You should go," Chanyeol says, urging him, mostly because of the fact that if he goes, he'd be able to do his plan easily.  

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to," Sehun says, shaking his head, "They told me I have to be here no matter what, unless you decide to go. It's protocol."  

"Isn't it a  _protocol_ for you to go? What if you're needed in there and it's an emergency?" Chanyeol questions, sounding a bit too... persuasive, mocking how the word ‘protocol’ rolls off his tongue. Thankfully, Sehun doesn't catch his tone, and proceeds on shaking his head. Chanyeol furrows his brows,  _just go, you dimwit,_ "I won't be doing anything here besides look at my sister. I'll be going in a few minutes anyway. I just have to say a few more words to her before going. After that, I'll leave."  

Sehun looks at him, unconvinced. Chanyeol nods at him, "I will really leave immediately. I'm pretty sure you'll see me after you when you leave."  

Sehun sighs, "Fine. I'll go. Please leave after a few minutes, or please go outside if you choose to wait for your mother." He says, then bows at him, turning his heel and brisk walks until he's out of the door.   

Chanyeol smiles triumphantly, looking at the window once again before twisting the knob open. Unfortunately, it was locked, but Chanyeol doesn't have much time left for him to be able to do his plan, so he exerts force needed to break the door open. He pounds on the door, and he could hear a  _crack_ upon doing it. He huffs, and does one last blow, too hard and in no time, Chanyeol was inside the room, its knob broken and loosely hanging by the hole.  

Chanyeol doesn’t waste his time and strides towards his sister. He doesn't register the fact that the room was too cold for his liking, and its tiles were a little bit too slippery, and it had caught Chanyeol off guard. He stands beside his sister, and he can't help staring at her lifeless body. He feels another wave of sadness flowing on his chest, and he just wants to cry and let everything sink into his mind until he accepts the fact that he won't know the feeling of having a sister again. But right now was not the right time to ponder about it, and instead he fixes his gaze on his wrist. He moves her wrist slightly and touching her sent shivers down to Chanyeol's spines.  _Her body was too cold. Really cold._ He looks at her wrist, and he doesn't see anything, and by now, Chanyeol was nervous, because  _what if?_  What if what Baekhyun was trying to point out was true?   

He moves to the other side, and moves her hand, and he covers his mouth when he sees  _nothing._ No 003 on her wrist, no marks or anything. He looks at her sister again, and he feels like all the blood has been rushed out of him, realizing that  _maybe_ Baekhyun was right, and that the person in front of him right now was not his sister. He finds himself holding her wrist, and there he realizes that it was too hard for it to be real, for it to be like the ones that they have. He was trembling, and he couldn't help looking at his fingers, feeling the tingling metal touching his skin, heavy on it. He removes his hold on it, closes his eyes, sighing, tugging his hair out with his other hand, frustrated, mad, betrayed, and lost.   

 _It wasn't real._   

 

 

"Check every space, every room, every corner of his house. We don't know how well that troublemaker Four could hide. For all we know he's just lurking around," he commands, handing a key to his men. "We have to move fast. Look for Four and make sure that we'll have him under us before that officer comes back." He says, and the other people with him nods, forcing Chanyeol's door open with a key, opening it with ease.  

It was a universal key, something the people of Hawkins do not know, and will never know.  _It's for the better,_ he says to himself as he trudges towards the cabin, looking around, just in case they see someone that would tell them about what they're doing.  

Once he enters the cabin, he sees the other men walking around, opening every door that they see. He doesn't follow their way, and instead places his hand on every corner, leaving a small chip to monitor every move Chanyeol makes in his house. He licks his lips, glancing at his surroundings, the color  _white_ satisfying him as he sees his men scurrying around the house, "Don't leave any evidences that we were here," he says in a cold and stern manner.  

The men do not answer but still make it a point to be careful with their move, just as to not leave any evident traces. He looks around and sees a map pinned on a board, a familiar handwriting seen on it. He sees the number  _3_ and a shaky drawing of something on it. The message was not clear to him, not that he cares anyway, but one thing's for sure is that Four was here, and that what the newspaper had said was right. That he was with Park Chanyeol all along.  

He smirks, finger tracing the shaky handwriting of the word  _Unknown._ All of this he told Park Chanyeol? He scoffs, tearing the map from the board, despite him saying that they shouldn't leave any evidences that they were inside.  

"Sir, he's not here. We've checked everything," the guy said, his mouth was covered with a mask, and his voice came out as a muffled one.   

"He's here. He was here," he says, certain, "He'll come around."  

"But sir —“  

"Give him a week or two, he'll come back to us to stop us from hurting this Park Chanyeol. Pretty sure this man means something to him,"  _if he told him such important information that even_ us  _didn't know about,_ he wants to say but decides not to, "If he's not back by that time, I want Park Chanyeol  _dead_. He's known way too much. Erasing his memory won't even work for him now."  

 

 

Something was different.  

That's what Chanyeol was thinking about ever since he has stepped foot inside his cabin. He can't shake off the feeling of being  _watched,_ as if someone was in his house, eyeing every move he's making. He was sure no one was inside his house, though. His house was locked when he arrived, and he checked every room of his cabin, but no one was inside.   

He sighs. Maybe he was just too tired after having a long day. He leans on his couch, placing his arm over his head, thinking of everything that had just happened within the day. The talk with the Chief, his argument with Jongdae, his visit in the laboratory, his discovery... God, it was all in Chanyeol's head and it's a  _mess._ He doesn't even know how he's still functioning after feeling his head explode a while ago. Honestly, how can one even recover from knowing that your sister is  _not dead_ and that everything is a setup? Chanyeol doesn't know. Chanyeol will never know. Yet amidst all of these thoughts, it all sums up to one word, or rather,  _one person:_ Baekhyun.  

Baekhyun who has been telling him the truth ever since the first day. He was telling him all about it but his mind was closed, and he let his emotions control him. If he just  _listened,_ maybe Baekhyun was still beside him, willing to help him in overcoming everything that he's feeling. But Chanyeol can't bring to blame himself, because thinking about it, if Baekhyun was in his position, he would've been hurt if someone doubted someone's death. Still, he can't stop the idea of punching himself to his guts just because he keeps on venting out everything to Baekhyun when he doesn't even deserve to be on the receiving end of his anger.  

He sighs, and massages his head, easing it to lessen the pain he's feeling. Everything was too much. Too much was happening in a number of days, and it's hard for Chanyeol to wrap his head around it. He's on the verge of getting insane, and there won't be anyone out there to understand him. He's on his own now.   

He's tired. After everything that is happening, all he could feel is his unending tiredness, clouding his mind, making him unable to think. He's confused, lost, and he doesn't know whether he should still look for his sister, or if it's even possible to reach her. After all, Baekhyun said it would be hard to save her from wherever she is. Still, he wants to know if she's still alive, and Baekhyun was the only one who could give him an answer, which means that he'll never have an answer because Baekhyun is  _gone._ He ran away from Chanyeol, and left him with all the mysteries that will remain unsolved without Baekhyun with him.  

Should he look for Baekhyun first, then? Chanyeol doesn't know. Baekhyun was hard to look for, and considering his powers, it's a lot harder, despite Hawkins being a small town. For all he knows, Baekhyun went to the Unknown and stayed there, where Chanyeol won't see him  _ever._ He feels worthless, hopeless, and drained, yet among these, he still feels like he's being watched. As if there was something invisible guarding him, looking at every move he does, and the first thing that comes to his mind was, "Baekhyun?" he whispers, looking around his cabin, inspecting every corner of his place, looking for any sign of movement that may show that Baekhyun was just here, near him.  

His eyes stop looking around, fixing his gaze on his board. He furrows his brows, confused.  _Something is missing._ He's sure his map was there before he went out this morning. He stands up, moves towards it and sees the paper ripped out of its pins, leaving small papers pinned on his board. It's not only that which catches Chanyeol's attention, but if he tries hard to notice it, he could smell a familiar odor of  _bleach_ hanging on the air. It was really faint, and only if one tries hard to recognize it would it only be evident.   

He looks around, tracing wherever it was that would lead him to where he feels like someone was watching him. After a few minutes of looking around, he stands on the center of his living room, breathing heavily. The only coherent thing he could think of was:  _The people of the laboratory was here._ It would make sense, given that they're continuously ruining their reputation on Chanyeol's mind. Baekhyun, his sister, all the issues they're facing, and now,  _this?_ He's sure that they know that Baekhyun was with him, and they're doing their best to look for him even if it's breaking the laws of Hawkins. He won't be surprised if they're on his tail, planning how to kill him, and in no time, Chanyeol will be facing his death with no mercy, leaving everything behind without getting the chance to say goodbye.  

Despite all of it, he's just  _glad_ Baekhyun was not here, or else he'll do things he never knew he could do if they try to take Baekhyun away from him.  

 

 

 

 ** _Hawkins > Unknown, 1992_**  

 _It hurts. Baekhyun didn’t know it was possible for him to feel such way, but it hurts so much especially when the words Chanyeol said kept swimming on his head. It hurts more than the pain he has felt when those bastards hurt him and try to force him to do things that would abuse his power._   

 _He's running away again, but this time, instead of the urge to leave and frustration he used to feel when he ran away from the Hawkins National Laboratory, it is now replaced by disappointment, how he doesn't want to let go, and how miserable he is for leaving a place that he has found comfort in._   

 _He wipes a tear visible on his cheek as he runs as fast as he can towards the place that has ruined his life, that ruined_ everything.  _Despite leaving Chanyeol upon his request, he wants to_ prove  _that what he knows is true, that Three is alive and that she’s just in Unknown, chained, stuck, unable to move away from that monster._   

 _He stops, arriving at the place he needs to be in. At the distance, he could already see the vines slowly inviting him in, the mist that’s coming out of the hole that is only visible to anyone who believes, the darkness slowly eating each of his happy thoughts alive. He’s about to go to the same place again, the same station where the monster keeps lingering around, waiting for any victim that would fit his taste. Baekhyun breathes in heavily, feeling the rush of his blood slowly draining him with every step he makes._   

 _He can do it. For Three, for_ Chanyeol.  

 _In each of the step that he makes, he could feel the vines gripping on his ankles, making him stop in his tracks to step all of them out, throwing them away to the side once they let go of him. The mist was brushing his face, making his face moist,_ dirty,  _because of it. From afar, he could already make out the broken tracks of Hawkins Train Station, different from the ones that he can see with the actual Hawkins._   

 _One thing he notices for sure is how the hole in this place kept getting bigger and bigger, as if it’s about to cover the whole city and make it as one._   

 _Baekhyun can’t let that happen._   

 _He walks slowly, breathing heavily in each step that he does. He doesn’t know if he’ll come back alive after going in here, but he needs to_ know  _whether Three was alive. He needs to prove it to Chanyeol — for him to believe in him again, for him to trust him again. He’s desperate to regain all of it so that he could come back to Chanyeol and have the warmth he’s starting to miss._   

 _It won’t be easy to do it but it’s worth a try. He hasn’t felt warmth for the past 10 years, will it be wrong to crave it and at least have some of it? No friends, no home, no music… and just when it was in his grasp, it’s gone. And he doesn’t want that. A few days of being with it is enough for him to long for it. It’s enough for him to miss the_ friendship  _he had with Chanyeol._   

 _He looks around, wary of his surroundings. From afar, he could hear someone screaming, asking for help and he badly wants to but he can’t see where it’s coming from. It was muffled, as if… it wasn’t really there, but he could hear it. Hear it but not see it._   

 _He arrives at the monster’s nest, still turning around everytime he hears footsteps. Baekhyun knows it’s no use. That_ thing  _could appear anywhere and directly strangle him down, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. He needs to get out alive from this place, and as much as possible, with Three if he could._   

 _There in his nest, he could see the hole — the same hole that was on the field — big, dangerous, deadly. And if he looks down, he knows he’ll see a tunnel in it, another way to Hawkins, an easier and more accessible one and Baekhyun fears that in no time,_ that  _monster could conquer Hawkins and Baekhyun won’t be able to save it on his own. All of them will die, giving more food for that monster._   

 _Baekhyun’s brows furrowed, looking around. He doesn’t see Three anywhere. She wasn’t in her usual place, that spot where she is chained, sleeping, and hidden on the shadows of that creature._   

 _Could it be? Was she able to run away from the Unknown and got in touch with Hawkins? But… he didn’t see any tattoo on her wrist. It was impossible for her to lose it just because she was here and she found a way to Hawkins._   

 _Baekhyun steps forward, the slime sticking onto his feet, making it harder for Baekhyun to move. Nonetheless, it doesn’t stop him. He kept on looking on the four corners of the nest, and he doesn’t see anything. No Three, no vines keeping her chained in one place._   

 _He stops when he feels like he has stepped on something. Too heavy, too big to be ignored. He looks down, and that’s where he sees her, and he almost falls down, gasping._ It can’t be.  

 _Baekhyun wants to throw up, to unsee this image that has successfully engraved to Baekhyun’s mind._ It can’t be,  _he chants on his head. He could already feel the tears threatening to fall, and he lets out a sob, too loud for a place that only silence is present. He can’t help it, because how can he when right in front of him was Three’s body, dead and with no way could it be alive or part of his imagination._

 _The monster succeeded. She’s dead. Baekhyun knew she had tried to ask for help, but no one could hear her. Not in the Unknown. It was too much for him to stomach it all in._  

_Baekhyun closes his eyes, his tears falling, and he doesn’t bother to cover his mouth to prevent a sob from coming out. He couldn’t accept it. One minute, he was hoping, praying, that Three was alive, so that she could finally come back to her family._

_Baekhyun blames himself because he knows he could’ve done something before but he let his fear control him. He should’ve helped her that time he saw her chained with vines. He lets out a shaky breath, thinking how he should’ve had courage to fight that monster. He could do it… he has the ability to do it, and maybe if Three was the one who had the light, she would’ve escaped successfully without a hitch. She’s a lot more courageous than he is… she was a lot more capable, and she had a family to come back to. Unlike him._   

 _He should be the one in Three’s place. He should be the one dead, eaten alive by the creature he’s been trying to avoid. Except, he isn’t. He’s soulless, but still alive…_   

 _He doesn’t see any reason for him to hold on to this life._   

 _He takes a step back, wanting to run away, but he thinks it would be better if he’ll die here._   

 _As he takes a move away, he steps on something, cracking and beeping loudly, starting Baekhyun. It was the same pager that had dropped before he escaped from the hands of the laboratory. He guesses it was because of this that Three was able to reach him… maybe it was because it was the only way she could do it without having to move out from her chain. Baekhyun could only assume that_ he  _found out._   

 _It beeps again, loud, fast, continuous, as if it’s making a signal before it gets broken. It was too loud, echoing into the quiet place. His eyes widen, he_ knows  _he’ll be here anytime soon. Out of reflex, he walks faster, almost running away from the scene. Giving one last look to Three, he whispers_ sorry  _underneath his breath. He looks away, attempting to run and hide to save his dear life, but he bumps into someone’s chest, rumbling, laughing at his weak attempt to save himself from him. As if he’s mocking him, looking down on him, thinking that he wasn’t capable of getting away from him this time._   

 _He doesn’t dare look on his eyes. He knows what the person in front of him is capable of, and he used to have an effect on Baekhyun, but Baekhyun has powers now… he won’t be able to control him with his eyes. He won’t be able to play with his mind just like the first time he had encountered him, but he doesn’t want to look at him. He was_ disgusting,  _and every single time that he sees him, it gets worse. He gets bigger and bigger, too full yet still not satisfied._   

 _“You’re here again?” the man asks, chuckling, “You think you’ll get lucky with me again? How insulting.”_   

 _Baekhyun doesn’t answer and keeps his gaze on the ground, but the man doesn’t want his attention to be somewhere else. He forces him to look up, placing his finger under his chin, making Baekhyun scrunch his nose at the faint smell of something rotten, burnt, that comes from his fingers. Baekhyun finds the courage to spit on his face, thinking that it would somehow disgust the man, but who was he kidding? The monster in front of him was the epitome of disgusting, and he_ embraces  _it. The monster just chuckles, spitting maggots onto Baekhyun’s face at the process._   

 _He shivers when he gives him a maniac grin, scaring Baekhyun, having a feeling that there’s something that lies beneath that grin, and Baekhyun doesn’t like it. It terrifies him._  

 _“You know, I’ll have to thank you for connecting both worlds again. Ah, if it wasn’t for you, I won’t be able to get a taste of that dinner I had in Hawkins. It’s the most satisfying dinner that I’ve ever had,” he says, licking his lips, staring deep into Baekhyun’s orbs, “But what to do? I suddenly feel hungry, and I’m looking for something… fresh. Alive.” He says, the corner of his lip tugging upward, forming a smirk. Baekhyun shivers in fear, and more so when the man grips on his wrist tightly, the maggots on his hand slowly crawling to his skin. He’s_ disgusted.  _He doesn’t know what to do, and the man in front of him is making it impossible for him to function properly._   

 _He could feel his grip tighten, hurting Baekhyun along the process as he feels the silver bracelet digging onto his skin, marking – engraving – the word_ Fearless _on his wrist._   

 _The man chuckles, and Baekhyun couldn’t help whimpering. His eyes widen, and he freezes when he hears him say, “What if I eat you alive the way I did to your friend?”_   

 

— — •


	6. The Madman

**CHAPTER SIX: The Madman**

 

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

Chanyeol wakes up bathing on his own sweat.  

He’s been having the same dream for a week now, all about  _Baekhyun._ He was running — nothing new there — but he was running away from… something, not the Hawkins National Laboratory, that’s for sure. Something Chanyeol wasn’t familiar with, but in his dreams, he could feel Baekhyun’s fear, his struggle on running away. It was dark where he is, droplets of water were falling from his face, and he could see him gasping for air every time he takes a turn. His running never stops... he was running in the same place, and it's as if it's no use because the one who's running after him seems to catch up to him with ease.   

It doesn't take a genius for him to know that all Baekhyun is doing was running in circles. At least in his dreams, that is.  

He doesn’t know whether it’s real or not, but it’s been making Chanyeol nervous, disoriented in some way whenever it comes back on his mind. It was too vivid for his liking, and the only thing that’s a blur was as to who was chasing him.   

Chanyeol things he has to stop thinking about Baekhyun. It’s probably the reason why he’s the only one he could see in his dreams. Never anything else ever since the week started.   

He guesses it’s a good choice that he chose not to go to work. Besides, he received permission that he could not go if he wanted to. None of the people in the station know about his discovery, and he badly wants to know anything about it. He used the week to try and think things through. Most of his nights were spent thinking of Baekhyun and his whereabouts… and also the dreams he’s been having felt real to be ignored. So much was happening and he can’t seem to think clearly. Even if he wants to focus on his sister, somehow, Baekhyun’s disappearance seems important for his search for the truth.  

Also, he still can’t shake off the feeling of being watched. No matter how hard he tried to look for it, he can’t seem to track it down. Every move he does is calculated, cautious, because he thinks that if he makes one wrong move, it’s over for him, and Chanyeol doesn’t want that. Because Chanyeol plans on seeking justice, not only about his sister but also to Baekhyun and the other more missing kids that have never been found.   

As much as Chanyeol wants to move away from his cabin, he couldn’t, because half of him thinks that it’s the only place Baekhyun could go to if he even thinks of coming back to Hawkins. What if Chanyeol wasn’t in his cabin? Then Baekhyun wouldn’t be able to enter. He wouldn’t be able to come back to Chanyeol’s comfort. And he doesn’t want that, because as much as Chanyeol despised him that time he didn’t know the truth, he considered him a friend that he’s willing to protect, a friend that he was willing to spend some time with.  

Chanyeol guesses it’s because of the fact that he had  _longed_ for someone to protect, someone to spend some time with in his cabin, that’s why he’s having this soft spot for Baekhyun. Baekhyun was… different. He had an effect on Chanyeol that no one had made him feel, and it was overwhelming, but he guesses it’s because of the  _friendship_ he’s trying to push.   

He just wants him to come back, to know whether he is safe. Also to say that he is was–  _is_ sorry. He had been the shittiest friend, and he would be more than willing to give him all the peanut butter that he wants.  

It was already noon when Chanyeol decided to get up. He spent his day sprawled on his bed, thinking about Baekhyun, his sister, the Hawkins National Laboratory, and then back to Baekhyun again. It’s all that was running in his head.   

Chanyeol is tired, and every day that he wakes up he goes more restless than he has ever been. Now he knows that he really should be careful with what he wishes for, because if he remembers it correctly, he wished to have a story to tell in the future. He has one now but it was too much for him to handle and his mind will surely explode before he could even tell his story.  

Quietly munching and thinking about everything that could potentially kill his mind, he gets startled when someone knocks on his door.   

The first thing he thought of was it was the people from the laboratory, preparing to kill him right on the spot. He's been waiting for them to arrive, and since they  _know_ Chanyeol wasn't armed, they would take the chance to kill him. It made sense for Chanyeol, and he admits it wasn't smart of him to not bring any weapon with him despite being aware of being watched. Years of training has been forgotten and replaced by his worries, he guesses.  

However, he still has time. Chanyeol thinks they won't force the door open just because of the mere fact he isn't responsive. He gets his gun from his drawer, places it on the garter of his back, his hand gripping tightly on it as he strides towards his door.   

The knock was loud, insistent, almost breaking it and by now, Chanyeol's sure the one behind the door is from the Hawkins National Laboratory. He stands back, raising his gun towards the door, waiting for it to open on its own. The least that he could hope for was for it to not fall down along the process.  

He stands there, waiting for it to open. He was breathing heavily, aiming above.   

The knocking stops, and Chanyeol lets out a breath he's holding, putting his gun down, but a sudden knock startles him, making him point back towards the door, his eyes widening when he hears someone say, "Park Chanyeol, open up!"  

Chanyeol opens his door quickly when he recognizes who it was. His eyes were wide when he sees the person in front of him, "Jongdae, what are you doing here?"  

"The Chief kept on asking for you, but he stopped after the two days. I think he realized that you needed the time to be away from work," Jongdae jokes, entering the cabin as he removes his coat, "So considerate of him."  

"Really, Jongdae. What are you doing here?" he asks, doubting him, "And can't you just call me instead of breaking my door?"  

"I wasn't sure whether you're still alive or something, but — Jongdae stops, looking around the room, "Is there someone in here? Is Baekhyun back and I just can't see him? Why do I feel like someone else is in here and I just can't see it?"  

He was right. That he was being watched.   

Jongdae was looking around, but Chanyeol stops him and blocks his view, shaking his head lightly as he widens his eyes at Jongdae, hoping that he would understand the message. Jongdae looks at him with furrowed brows, and his gaze drops on Chanyeol's gun, arching an eyebrow, "Oh."  

"Yeah," Chanyeol says, laughing nervously, "I don't know what you're talking about." he says, making an act.  

"Right," Jongdae says, nodding, his gaze not on Chanyeol but on something on his side. After squinting his eyes to something, he looks back at Chanyeol who's smiling at him nervously, "I'll go out. Maybe you should too. It's kind of suffocating in here. Did you spray something?"  

"Whatever," Chanyeol says and pushes him outside. He closes his door, and faces Jongdae who's staring intently at his door, "Listen —“  

"Sweep that corner near your couch," Jongdae suddenly whispers to him, making him stop with whatever explanation he was going to tell Jongdae, his eyes still staring at his door.  

"What?"  

"There's a chip there. Sweep that area and leave it here outside," Jongdae commands. Chanyeol looks at him confusedly, and Jongdae notices it and gives him a frown, "I'm serious. If Baekhyun was here, he would've felt —  _seen_ it too."  

Confused, he still does what Jongdae had asked him to do. He enters his cabin, sweeping some other areas first before going for the area Jongdae had shown him. He opens his door, letting out the dust he has garnered from the fast sweeping he did. He sees Jongdae looking down, staring at the dust he has collected. After a few seconds, he looks at Chanyeol, stomps on the dust and shakes his foot. Chanyeol thinks he heard something crack, but it was faint so he wasn't sure of it. He was going to ask Jongdae about what happened, but Jongdae grins at him, pushes him inside and jokingly says, "Man, you really need to learn how to clean."   

Chanyeol looks at him confusedly, a question hanging in the air. Jongdae closes the door and sighs, "You're fucking stupid."  

Chanyeol is taken aback, "Excuse me?"  

"I'm pretty sure you know you're being watched," Jongdae comments, plopping onto his couch, closing his eyes, "How come you didn't know there was a camera on that side of your couch?"  

"I didn't see anything," Chanyeol says, still confused, "The only thing that I saw was dust and some crumbles."  

Jongdae sighs dramatically, "I forgot that you don't know anything about those chips," he says, shaking his head, "It's some pretty advanced technology. I read it from some past article of Madman Heechul about it. I thought it was just hoax done by him, turns out, it was true."  

"Madman Heechul knows this?"  

"That guy can be called a stalker from the amount of things that he knows, and as much as  _I_ want to arrest him because of it, most people in the station thinks he's just a crazy ass man on the loose," Jongdae says, "That thing is from the laboratory."  

"I thought so." Chanyeol says knowingly. Well, he's already aware that the Hawkins National Laboratory was the one behind it. He just didn't have any proof about it, "Hey, did you break the chip?"  

"Obviously. What's the use of it anyway? What if Baekhyun comes back and they saw it from their channel?"  

"I was going to use it as my proof," Chanyeol says, turning his heel towards his kitchen, "But whatever. You're such a nuisance. I was eating my lunch."  

Jongdae looks at him incredulously, "At 16:00?"  

Chanyeol just shrugs and eats his sandwich quietly, his thoughts immediately going back to Baekhyun because Jongdae kept on mentioning him. Chanyeol remembers that time Baekhyun suspected him for putting poison to his food, and that time any slight noise would alarm Baekhyun. Chanyeol agrees with Jongdae that Baekhyun would've known something was fishy the moment he steps in his cabin. It would've been better if Baekhyun discovered it. He'll probably amazed, intrigued, just as how much he was amazed that he has powers. He never expressed it to him, but despite being shaken with such fact, he found himself believing at most of the things he has deemed impossible. Baekhyun's power has that kind of effect on him.   

Light suits him. Too bad Chanyeol won't be able to see it again.  

He snaps out of his trance when Jongdae suddenly clears his throat, "Has Baekhyun come back yet?"  

Chanyeol unconsciously pouts, "He hasn't."  

"That's too bad," Jongdae says, looking at Chanyeol, squinting his eyes, "For someone who looked mad talking about him last week, you sure are a contrast to it."  

"Let's just say... I discovered things that only Baekhyun could explain to me." Chanyeol answers and shrugs, "Besides, you haven't answered my question. What are you doing here? I'm pretty sure you didn't come here to have a small talk, Officer Kim."  

"Shut up," Jongdae says, and rolls his eyes, "I went here for Baekhyun and seeing that you aren’t even trying to look for him, I might as well go and do it myself."  

Chanyeol furrows his brows. He doesn't understand. He knows Baekhyun is important, but to the point that Jongdae would look for him on his own? It doesn't make any sense. "Did I miss something?"  

"A lot. Want a recap?" Jongdae says, rolling his eyes, giving no chance for Chanyeol to speak, "See, your sister's death has stirred a lot of issues, mainly because of Madman Heechul's past articles. His recent article was about  _Four,_ and how he's the mastermind for everything unusual that is happening in the city, including the disappearances of Yixing's flowers, the disappearance of that personnel in the Hawkins National Laboratory – which I don't even know – the hole, the reports that there are people who have a minor memory lapse, and even your sister's death! It says in his article that it was all Four's doing, and he's starting to ruin Hawkins by doing these unusual things."  

"You know that's not true—“  

"I know it's not true that he wants to ruin Hawkins, but all of those that I've mentioned are somehow connected to him. Maybe he's not the actual cause of all of those, but he knows something about the laboratory, which I assume is the actual reason for all of these, and I want to know it too," Jongdae explains, and Chanyeol looks conflicted, lost, "Don't you want to know anything about your sister? Last time you were blaming Baekhyun about it, but I'm telling you, my hunch is right. Everything happened fast and I'm sure there's something beneath all of these."  

"I..." Chanyeol trails off. He doesn't know whether he should say what he had discovered in the Hawkins National Laboratory, but Jongdae seems like he knows something Chanyeol doesn't. It's basically a give and take, he tells to himself. "I know my sister is not dead. Well, I mean, it's not her body that's in the Hawkins National Laboratory right now."  

Jongdae looks at him, his eyes wide, "I'm sorry, what? Am I hearing things correctly?  _You_ acknowledge that what happened is  _not_ real?"  

"It's not real. I saw it with my own eyes. And I..." Chanyeol stops, sighing, looking down on his now empty plate, "I just want to see Baekhyun and say sorry to him. I won't be asking any more questions or try to pester him about it but I just want to know whether he's okay, whether he's safe, and if he still wants to be friends with me.... I don't know. God, I sound like a high school student just now. Forget what I just said. Maybe I —“  

"Miss him?"  

"Yeah — I mean, no! _No_! What the hell? Not that. I'm just concerned as to where he is. Shut up."   

"Just admit that you have some soft spot for him for some reason. I'd understand," Jongdae says, chuckling, "Well, you wanna see the person you like, and I wanna see him to talk about something that's directly related to him and all this fiasco."  

"What do you mean?" Chanyeol asks, confused.  

"Well, besides the things about the speculations about him, I discovered something else. Something about his identity," Jongdae says, stands up, and walks towards the stool across Chanyeol, sitting down, "I found his files on one of our drawers. Along with the other kids who got lost during 1982..."  

"I know he’s part of those who got lost in 1982. I think it’s part of those things Madman Heechul theorized.”  

“It’s not a theory. It’s the truth, but this isn’t just about Baekhyun, you know? I’m not sure why no one from the ’82 policemen never noticed this but they all have similarities,” Jongdae says, shaking his head, muttering  _I should’ve brought those papers_ under his breath, “The last place they were seen was in the train station.”  

“Hawkins Train Station?” Chanyeol clarifies. He remembers his sister last seen there too, but he thought it wasn’t that important, “I’m pretty sure I read those too that time I was checking the files on my own. I noticed it, but I didn’t really think deeper. That’s a mistake on my part.”  

“It clearly is,” Jongdae says, “How come you didn’t realize that Baekhyun was part of it? They were all in one place.”  

“I wasn’t looking at the others. I was interested in looking for my  _sister_ , not for Baekhyun nor the other children who got lost,” Chanyeol defends himself, “At least, that’s before Baekhyun barged in my life and made it upside down.”  

“That’s a nice line to say, but you’re sounding like some smitten guy for someone who keeps on denying him,” Jongdae teases, “Well, Baekhyun knows more than I do, so we’ll have to hope for him to reappear.”  

“I doubt that,” Chanyeol says, sighing at the thought that Baekhyun won’t come back. He tries to dismiss the thought, “You think that’s all? I’m sure that the train station is important in all of this, but I’m pretty sure that’s not all of it. I read a lot of similarities that time and I kinda regret not taking note of those. Stupid move, I tell you.”  

“Ugh, I don’t know. I wasn’t able to read all of it since the Chief arrived and made me do things that I have no idea with,” he complains and groans, “You should come back to the station so that the Chief will stop pestering me about the things not only one person should do. I mean, how else would I know how to fix those damn lights that kept on turning off? And there’s a problem in the Hawkins Train Station too. What’s up with that place?”   

"I can't understand any single shit you're saying right now," Chanyeol says, frowning.  

Jongdae sighs, tapping his fingers on his table, "It's a bad time to take an off in the station. Oh, well. No worries though. I'm glad we're doing something instead of just lazing around. Not so jobless now as a cop, huh."  

"Needed a time off. Besides, if I go to the station, the first thing I'd probably do is to look for every file about the incidents related to the things I’ve discovered. I'd need you to cover for me, just in case anyone gets suspicious. Those files are kept untouched, so it'll be hard for me to get them — wait," Chanyeol stops, thinking, then looking at Jongdae who's looking at him with a questioning look, "How did  _you_ check all of those? I tried checking everything but it was too hard."  

Jongdae smirks and just shrugs, "Not important. Anyways, I came here to update you with everything. Be well, and look for Baekhyun when —“ Jongdae stops, suddenly alarmed, looking around, "Did you hear that?"  

"I didn't hear anything."  

"I swear I heard something. Don't make any noise," Jongdae says, and Chanyeol follows him, listening carefully. Jongdae was focusing, squinting his eyes. He suddenly jumps, surprised, looks at Chanyeol and says, “Didn’t you hear that!?”  

Chanyeol looks at him, confused. He didn’t hear anything. It was actually silent around them, no rustle or any faint sound, no worth jumping for kind of noise passed by Chanyeol’s ear, “I didn’t hear anything.”  

“Something fell on your roof! And now it’s walking on it!”  

“I really don’t hear anything —“ he stops when he hears something drop. It was near his kitchen’s window, along the bushes planted beside his cabin.   

They slowly make their way towards it. Chanyeol was clutching his gun, and Jongdae does the same, pointing it to his window. Chanyeol signals him to move forward, his aim sharp, focusing on the rustling noise from outside. They were already near, and Chanyeol could feel his heart wanting to get out of his ribcage in every step that he makes. Beside him was Jongdae breathing heavily, waiting for an attack.  

It could be anything. Thieves, animals, or the worst, the people from the laboratory. If it were them, it would be hard but Chanyeol will not die without a battle.  

Jongdae makes another step forward, opening the window and stepping back to make sure that he won't be easily shot. Nothing appears in front of them, making the both of them confused. Jongdae takes another step forward, taking the initiative to take a peek, and he does it slowly, cautious and aware of every noise in his surroundings.

That's why it wasn't a shock when he nearly jumps when his transceiver beeps, along with a whimper from outside. Jongdae, Chanyeol still pointed to the direction where the noise came from, immediately looks outside, and there he sees a cat, licking its paws, "Just a cat." He says, sighing in relief.

Before Chanyeol could even react, the familiar voice of Chief Kim booms in his kitchen, "Officer Kim, dead man at Interwoods. Need men."

Chanyeol looks at Jongdae, his eyes wide. Jongdae shakes his head, frowning, "Copy that," he says and the channel ends.

Jongdae places his gun on his belt, "Well then, I'm off to the Interwoods. It's getting stranger and real here in Hawkins, I swear to god..."

"I'm going with you," Chanyeol says, curious as to what happened. A lot of people were dying, and it's getting too alarming, so he decides to know what this is all about. If there was a pattern, or something.

He kinda doesn't want to stay in his house after what happened too. He's been trapped in here, and maybe he'll need some time out. Away from a place that makes him drown in his own misery.

"Are you sure?" Jongdae asks, a little bit skeptical. Chanyeol merely nods and gets all his necessary belongings. When Jongdae sees he was all ready, he says, "Crime buddies on the way!"

Chanyeol looks at him with disgust, "I hope I'll never hear that again."

 

 

 

There were already a lot of people by the time they arrived in the Interwoods. All of them were surrounding the body, scrunching their nose in distaste. In the distance, Chanyeol could see someone throwing up in the side, disgusted with the lifeless body in front of them.  

He sees Chief Kim talking with some of the people from the Hawkins National Laboratory. He runs towards them so that he could ask about what happened. He bows and says, "Chief."  

Chief Kim acknowledges his presence, nodding, "Officer Park, just in time."  

"What happened, sir?" He asks. He could feel an intent gaze boring to the side of his face. Chanyeol's sure that it was from the person Chief Kim was talking to. It was distracting, but Chanyeol decides he doesn't deserve his attention.  

"A boy was found dead here, like what I said," Chief Kim says, then he strides towards the scene, Chanyeol and the laboratory staff in tow. The people made way as Chief Kim walks towards it.   

The scene in front of him almost made Chanyeol throw up. Disgusting was an understatement. It was  _horrifying,_ and Chanyeol swears this image will be engraved in his mind. He sees cameras everywhere, capturing every scene and every part evidence that they may see. Chanyeol doesn't how they could stomach it all in, but  _god,_ it was hard for Chanyeol to even spare a second to look at it. A lifeless person isn't new to him, but still, seeing one in front of him after the incident with his sister was hard for him to even process it.

"Dr. Do here says that according to their estimation, the body has been in that state for almost a week, given that there are maggots present in the poor boy's body," Chief Kim says to him, shaking his head, "It's murder, surely there’s a killer but it's hard to determine who did it. No evidences present, most probably because it took us a week for us to discover it. It's a very well planned one, if I must say. It's a good thing that Cowboy Jung found his body before it got swallowed by the land."  

Chanyeol wants to agree, but such kind of murder was too... unusual,  _strange._ For him, no normal person is capable of doing this. Goodness, Hawkins  _was_ a saintlike city, and the probability that a person from Hawkins did this was unlikely. For years, they never had any crime as horrendous as this. If he thinks more about it, they  _never_ had one, even on the first years of Hawkins.  

He feels a hand gripping on his arm, taking him away from the scene. Chief Kim nudges the person beside him, "Kyungsoo, please tell Chanyeol the laboratory’s observations. He may have an idea about it," he says, and Kyungsoo nods at him, bowing. Chief Kim takes it as his cue to leave and attend to the other matters, mostly with the reporters and the investigators.   

Kyungsoo was waiting for him with a displeased look. Chanyeol purses his lips, bows out of respect despite knowing their hidden agenda towards him, "Dr. Do?"  

The doctor signals him to move closer to him, away from the crowd. Chanyeol furrows his brows, confused, because why do they need to move away from others? It's kind of suspicious, but Chanyeol thinks the person wouldn't want to do any murdering with a lot of eyes on them. It was too crowded, so Chanyeol thinks it would be safe for him to follow the guy.  

Chanyeol takes this moment to observe the man in front of him. On the outside, he looks quiet, calm, composed. Most of the people in the Hawkins National Laboratory look as such, Chanyeol realizes, but there was something off with him. Something different with the way he looks stiff, and hiding something underneath. He thinks he’s just overthinking things again, but it was hard to ignore, especially the way he side glances Chanyeol and how he continuously looks around as if he’s trying to check his surroundings, surveying the place to make sure that no one will see them.  

Once he arrives at the side of the doctor, he tries to give him a small smile, waiting for him to say something about what had happened. However, what he receives is a murderous look and before Chanyeol knows it, his hand was on the back of his neck, holding him down, making him look straight into his eyes. Chanyeol struggles to remove his grasp, but it seems that the guy had done something to make it harder for him to move. Kyungsoo smirks at him when he notices his struggle, "Not as strong as what you think you are, huh?" He whispers, chuckling.  

"What the fuck do you want?" Chanyeol asks, his voice low, gritting his teeth as he sees Kyungsoo rolling his eyes at him. It was an unexpected turn of events, and Chanyeol has never had this much urge to get back to someone, let alone a person from a place he deems to be untrustworthy. Chanyeol wants to look around, see if someone is seeing this because this is a solid proof of the mistreating that the people from the laboratory could do.   

"Listen, Park Chanyeol," Kyungsoo says, his tone warning, alarming, "Return Four to us, or else the same things will happen."  

 _Four?_ No. Even if Baekhyun wasn’t with him, he will never  _ever_ give him back to them, especially when even Chanyeol himself is being treated like this. Chanyeol laughs humorlessly, agitated, “So, are you admitting that you people did this to get him back to your abusive institution? How pathetic.”  

“We didn’t but he  _is_  the reason for all of this,” Kyungsoo replies, “Give him back to us, and you won’t see us on your tail.”  

“Too bad I won’t,” he replies, and just before he tries to push him away, he feels the doctor’s fingers deep on his skin, marking it. He groans in pain, and he wants to get out of his grasp, but it seems that he did something to somehow paralyze him.  

“Give  _him,”_ Kyungsoo commands, his eyes turning red. It was deadly, as if he wants him to die on the spot. The pain on the back of his neck hurts so much that the only thing Chanyeol could do was close his eyes and refrain himself from letting out a groan, “Give him back. You’ll never know. Maybe you’re the next one that will die, and your body won’t be found by anyone because by the time they realize you’re gone, you’ve been swallowed by the ground. You’re lucky your sister got found instead of just rotting in that room.”  

Chanyeol doesn’t listen to him, refusing to be infuriated with his words. Instead, he focuses on easing the pain  that he’s feeling on his skin. It was too painful, and he can feel himself losing his energy, and any minute now he’s going to pass out. The fingers kept on digging on his skin, and by now, the only thing he could think of was to ask for someone’s help, because apparently, no one could see them despite the amount of people he has seen a while ago. It’s too hard for him to open his eyes to try to even  _look_.   

Chanyeol feels like he’s about to surrender unwillingly to the pain, but all of those thoughts vanish in his mind when he hears a rustle from Kyungsoo’s back, light footsteps echoing on their side. Chanyeol tries to open his eyes slightly, and he thinks he sees a familiar silver on the dark shadows of the Interwoods. He’s not sure whether he’s hallucinating it, especially when his vision is now blurry, but if he tries to squint his eyes, he could see the familiar frail body, thin lips, and those eyes that normally look directly in his eyes. Could it be him?  _Baekhyun?_   

Chanyeol thinks he has gained strength by the thought of Baekhyun coming back.  

The noise gets louder, catching Kyungsoo’s attention, breaking his focus on him. He takes the opportunity to push him away. It was a weak attempt, but to his surprise, he succeeded. Kyungsoo looks at him with wide eyes, and Chanyeol stares back at him as he massages the back of his neck. They were glaring at each other, and it feels like they did it for a few minutes because it was only when they hear someone clear his throat do they break the intense glaring, “Dr. Do,” a soft voice says and Chanyeol snaps his head towards to the owner of the voice and he sees Dr. Kim Junmyeon standing a few meters away from them.  

Dr. Do bows his head calmly, as if he didn’t do anything wrong. Dr. Kim looks at him and says, “Officer Park. I don’t know if it’s the good time to say this but it’s good to see you.”  

Chanyeol resists the urge to roll his eyes before saying, “Likewise.” He bows and thinks of the fact that they both know it’s a lie.   

Junmyeon looks away from him and fixes his attention on Kyungsoo, "Dr. Do, I hope you already told Officer Park about the recent incident. I'll be expecting progress with the reporting."  

"Of course," Kyungsoo says and bows again. Chanyeol scoffs and rolls his eyes. When Junmyeon turns his back on them, Kyungsoo looks at him, widens his eyes as if he's telling him that he better not forget whatever it was that they talked about.   

Thankfully, Jongdae sees them and interrupts the tension by saying straightforwardly, "I think I need to take a shit."  

Chanyeol snorts and looks at Kyungsoo who gives Jongdae a disgusted look before leaving. Jongdae winks at him, and Chanyeol pats his back, "Nice save, pal. Kinda late but still appreciated."  

"I think I really need to take a shit, though," Jongdae says, scrunching his nose. Chanyeol shakes his head and walks towards the scene. Chanyeol notices that they were a little bit too far from the crowd, and that's when he realizes that it must be the reason why no one witnessed what happened, "I could've died there."  

"You're being dramatic. He was literally just standing there." Jongdae says, following his lead.  

"No, there's honestly more to that," Chanyeol says, sighing exasperatedly. He continues to massage the back of his neck, still tingling with pain. He tries to dismiss it, “I’ll tell you about it later. Did you get information about what happened? I think I’ll be going to the station tomorrow to help investigate everything about it along with the others.”  

“Yeah, I did. Got some pictures too, and well, more…” Jongdae says, and he notices Chanyeol rubbing the back of his neck, “What happened to you?”  

“Not important,” Chanyeol tries to dismiss, closing his eyes as he tries to lessen the pain. An image of a silver-haired boy comes back to his mind as soon as he does it. The same person that has been hunting his dreams, running, “I think I saw Baekhyun but I’m not sure… fuck.”  

“Maybe he’s just around! You should go look for him. I’ll sort things here, and probably accompany the Chief,” Jongdae says, excited at the thought that Baekhyun may have come back, “Go get the love of your life.”  

“Fuck you,” he hisses, “It was blurry and I’m not sure if it’s really him. Fuck, I really can’t see things clearly right now. I think I need to head back.” He says, and looks at Jongdae, “Update me about this case. I know some things about it but I can’t say anything unless it’s final.”  

“Copy that,” Jongdae says, clicking his tongue.  

Chanyeol nods at him, staggering towards his car. It was in the far end of the road, and he’s not even sure if he could drive properly. Still, he pushes himself, steers away from the crowd to not draw any attention. However, despite him being as discreet as possible, he feels like someone is following him quietly, so he looks back and sees no one aside from the crowd that is continuously growing as time passes by.   

It was already getting dark, the usual time for dinner, and Chanyeol’s surprised that the people prefer on surrounding the crime scene instead of going home. Not that Chanyeol cares. It’s just unusual for him.  

As soon as he realizes that no one was following him, he tries to straighten his posture, rubs his eyes, and walks slowly towards his car. He could still hear faint footsteps behind him, slow and steady, obviously in no rush. Chanyeol just thinks about how it could be someone leaving the site at the same time as him.   

Before entering his car, he leans on his car and looks up, gazing at the now dark sky.  

Chanyeol’s head isn’t with him, that he admits. If it were any other day, he would’ve taken the case in his hands and try to solve on his own. It seems like his priorities have now changed, because just by the mere image of Baekhyun being in front of him, the guilt and longing building in his chest grows taller, and the urge to see him is getting high to the point that he would much rather go back to his cabin and wait for him, just in case his eyes were not playing with him instead of helping the other officers in the case. He needs to sort out his priorities and put things in order. However, the thought of Baekhyun appearing in front of him and coming back lingers on his mind. He  _wants_ to prepare something for his return and just... talk to him and make sure he was okay, comfortable, and still willing to be part of Chanyeol’s life as his  _friend_.  

As childish may it sound, he’d buy him any peanut butter he wants, and protect him from any cucumber related food if he comes back.   

He ruffles his hair, annoyed at himself. Since when did his priorities be solely focused on Baekhyun? He knows his sister is still the one that he needs to seek justice for, but Baekhyun keeps on barging in his head without knocking, invading and occupying every vacant space in Chanyeol’s head. He knows he has to think about his sister, the case, the recent reports, even the encounter with the doctor in the Hawkins National, but his mind keeps on coming back to the thought of Baekhyun appearing in the middle of the woods, looking at him with the same look he’s weak for.  

Chanyeol opens his door angrily, his emotions vent out to the poor door. He slams it close, puts on his seat belt, and grips on his steering wheel, not bothering to start the engine in an instant.  

He’s frustrated with himself, because being in the car reminds him of that time he first saw Baekhyun, the pretending that he was a dog, and even that time they were just driving around Hawkins during the calm before the storm. Only a few moments, only a few days, but Baekhyun had managed to make him remember these things that Chanyeol had deemed before as unimportant?  _Unbelievable._   

His forehead meets his steering wheel, and Chanyeol groans in pain, but doesn’t look up as he continues to lightly hit himself on it.  _Unbelievable._ The only thing that was going on in his head was  _Baekhyun._ He could shake his head, and try to remove everything that's on his mind, but Baekhyun would stick on his head like a leech.

 _Is it wrong to miss a friend?,_ he thinks to himself. He looks up and sees that the night was growing deeper each second that passes by as he sits waiting for nothing on his car, all the lights in the road were already switched on. It’s the perfect time for him to go back to the cabin, and well, wait for Baekhyun. Because that’s how stupid his mind works. Chanyeol reasons to himself that all of this was only for his sister, that he only wants to regain something he had lost.  _Right. That was it, nothing else._   

Still, he really can’t help the urge to prepare for something as the thought of Baekhyun returning once again enters his mind. Chanyeol curses underneath his breath. No, coming back to his cabin is not about Baekhyun.  _Right, but whatever._   

 _It’s time to buy jars of peanut butter._   

 

 

 

With a bag full of groceries, with a handful of peanut butter, Chanyeol throws it to the back of his car. He hops on his seat, starts his engine, and heads back to his cabin.

During his short visit to the market, Chanyeol thinks about why Baekhyun became an important part of his life. Somehow, along the way and the short days with him, he has found... comfort that he never had for the past few years after he moved out. Maybe it was the fact that even though Baekhyun had changed his life drastically, amidst all of it, there was still some fun,  _mystery,_ that he's been trying to look for endlessly. Fun, in a way that Baekhyun could still see something better out of everything, to have some time to experience things that he has been hindered from, and Chanyeol was there to accompany him and see him do things that made him happy. Mystery, in a sense that each of his days had been a question mark to him, always unsolved, and all of Baekhyun is an epitome of that.

Sure, Jongdae can be his friend, but Baekhyun was... different. He was something else, and Chanyeol can't quite pinpoint in all out, but he's sure that something is different when he's with Baekhyun. Not like any of the friendships he has formed from the past couple of years. Maybe if he had spent more time with Baekhyun, he would figure at least that one out, and it will be out of his box of mysteries.

He just wishes Baekhyun would come back, and if he won't, he'll be one of the people that Chanyeol would try to look for until the ends of the world.

He sighs, shaking his head lightly. It's a good thing that he's feeling a little bit well now, compared to the blinding pain he was feeling a while ago. The back of his neck still hurts, but it's not as painful as it was. Still, he can't help himself from rubbing it from time to time.  

The streets were empty, quiet in this part of Hawkins. It wasn't surprising since the people here rarely go out at night. Chanyeol can't help appreciating the place once again, as if it's just the first time he saw it. The Hawkins lights were just... beautiful,  _breathtaking,_ just like how he saw Baekhyun when he glowed that night. One can never take their eyes off it, and it's just always  _there,_ accompanying him in late nights like this. That's why when the light from one of the posts suddenly switch off, Chanyeol is left confused. It never happened before. Was this the problem that Jongdae was talking about? The lights that were suddenly turning off?  

It was confusing for Chanyeol, nonetheless, but there was still enough light for him to be able to drive.  

However, Chanyeol sees someone walking towards his car, but Chanyeol can't recognize him because he was near the dark post. Chanyeol slows down his driving, squinting his eyes to try and recognize it. It was hard to see him, but he could make out its figure, and it was definitely a man. The first person Chanyeol thought of was that it was Baekhyun. However, the man's body seems to be a lot bigger, and a lot more toned in contrast with Baekhyun's frail body.  

He sees the man lean on the post, not letting the light touch his skin. Chanyeol's focus breaks from then man when he sees another of the post losing its light. Chanyeol frowns but continues driving slowly. He looks at the place where the man was, but it was gone from its usual place. Chanyeol blinks, confused, and tries to look for him somewhere else, but a drop on the roof of his car startles him, making him press on his brakes.  

The light that was on his car was suddenly off, and when he looks up on his window to see if anyone has fallen down, he almost screams when he sees a man on the front of his car, smirking at him. His face was... different. Like a monster, and the way he plasters a devilish grin on his face terrifies Chanyeol, making him freeze on his seat. He rubs his eyes, thinking it wasn't real. He looks at the front of his car again, and the man was suddenly gone, but there was another  _thud_ that had made on the top of his car.  

Chanyeol doesn't hesitate on coming out of his car, his gun pointing upwards on the direction of his roof, "Who's there!?" His voice echoes on the quiet street, and when he sees that there was nothing on the top of his car, he looks around, his gun still up. He was breathing heavily, his brows furrowed, as he tries to locate the man that had appeared in front of him, but he was nowhere in sight.  

One by one, the lights were suddenly turning off, moving towards his direction and there he sees the man that he was looking for. At every light that has switched off, the man moves closer towards him, his movement fast along with the lights, "Stay there." Chanyeol says, pointing his gun at him. The man only chuckles, and it echoes on the street.  

Chanyeol grips on his gun tighter, his aim pointed directly at the man who's dangerously coming closer to him. The once bright street has now turned dark, cold, soulless, and Chanyeol feels like he's being sucked out of his comfort, losing his warmth as the man in front of him walks slowly towards him. Chanyeol doesn't let himself affected by it, but the sudden feeling of lightheadedness enters him, making him dizzy, and stumble back.  

He blinks repeatedly, his vision blurring, and he hears another chuckle from the man. Too loud,  _too near_ as if he was just beside Chanyeol, but Chanyeol couldn't see because everything's suddenly a blur. It was also too dark, and it hinders Chanyeol from seeing it. The back of his neck suddenly hits him with pain, making him groan, closing his eyes, ducking down. He feels a breath on the side of his neck, as if it was smelling him, inhaling his scent, "Fresh," he hears him whisper.  

Chanyeol opens his eyes, and he is met by a man with red eyes, staring directly into him, eating him with his eyes, and Chanyeol suddenly can't feel himself, frozen on the cold road. He continues to stare at the person's eyes, unable to look away. The man lowers his head, licks his lips, "Dinner time."

He wants to move. He wants to protect himself, but he couldn't. Chanyeol found it hard to breathe as the man comes face to face with him, his mouth agape as he tries to suck Chanyeol's soul, eating it, and Chanyeol could already feel himself falling, failing to breathe properly. His grip on his gun loosens, and his eyes were slowly closing.

Suddenly, he hears a scream from a far, followed by hurried footsteps. Chanyeol couldn't see who it was, feeling lifeless, hopeless on the ground. His breathing slows down, and he's slowly losing his energy, unable to at least get back on his feet and shot the man.  

Slowly... slowly... Chanyeol is losing himself. He can't help closing his eyes, the last thing he sees were the red eyes that were focused on him,  _controlling_ him, eating him alive.  

But then the scream gets louder, near him, and Chanyeol thinks it was familiar, so he tries to open his eyes. He sees a blinding light coming into their view, and the heavy gaze on him was suddenly gone, followed by a screeching sound coming from the man. The light was getting nearer, and the man who was trying to make him lose everything was backing away, groaning at the sight of a light. He hears another scream, and he thinks he could hear someone running, "Stay away from him!"

The man screeches, but he doesn't move away from Chanyeol. Instead, he gives him a deadly stare, his eyes burning with hunger. He licks his lips, and holds Chanyeol by his neck, but the man was suddenly thrown away to the streets, and what once was full darkness is replaced by a light that gives him warmth, safety, protecting him from the man that has paralyzed him. He hears him hiss, and he launches himself towards the man, but the man was fast enough to move, and he vanished into thin air, as if he wasn't there with them.  

Chanyeol doesn't know whether he was seeing things right. Yet the energy that has been drained out of him was slowly taking its toll. He hears hurried footsteps coming towards him, and the last thing he sees before his eyes completely close was a light, radiating warmth to his system, lulling him to sleep, missing the voice that called out for him,  _"Yeol!_ Stay with me! _"_

 

 

He could feel his head pounding the moment he woke up.

He finds himself in his own room, a lamp turned on, and a blanket draped over him. Chanyeol doesn't know how he got here, and he's confused as to what happened. If he remembers things correctly, he went to the Interwoods to see the recent case that they have to determine, then he talked with someone from the Hawkins National Laboratory, and then he thought he saw Baekhyun there. He went to the market to buy food, mostly peanut butter for Baekhyun, and then things get strange on the way home. His memories were fuzzy, and Chanyeol's not sure if all of those was just part of his imagination. He considers everything that had just happened was another of his bad dreams, just like the dreams he's been having these past few days.  

He kind of hopes it was a dream, because the image of a man in his head was definitely not normal. It was unbelievable that such  _creature_ exists and breathes in Hawkins. However, a part of him wants to believe it was true, because in it, there was a blinding light, so bright that it could capture anyone's attention and Chanyeol couldn't make himself look away. It was familiar to him, and it feels like home when he remembers the warmth it could radiate.

He groans, massaging his head, feeling it pound. His headache was too severe, plus the back of his neck still hurts. It was hard for him to move, but he tries to push himself up, immediately regretting it, feeling his body feel like jelly. It's as if he feels light, like anyone can carry him. He lies back down, sighing. He feels useless all of a sudden, the same feeling he's been having since the week has started. Still, he can't help thinking about the things that have happened. If everything was real, then how did he come back here? How is he still alive?  

He hears footsteps outside his room, and he looks at it, confused. He sees the turn of his knob, the door slightly opening. Chanyeol could feel himself being nervous, because he doesn't know who it was. It could be the people from the laboratory, Jongdae, a complete stranger, but one thing's for sure is that if ever the person behind the door was there to kill him, then it's done for him because even if he wants to move, he couldn't. Not even to reach for his gun near his drawer.

The door was wide open now, and there was no one coming in. Chanyeol frowns,  _what the hell?_ Did the thing open by itself? Was it just a ghost? Is this part of his dreams?  

His curiosity slowly building on his chest makes him move and get up just to see whether there was someone else inside his cabin. So, no matter how much it hurts to move even one inch, he calculates how much steps it would take him to reach his door. It would hurt, that he knows, but he needs to know who it was before it kills him.

He stands up, groaning at every step that he makes. He walks slowly towards it, not making any effort to move too much. He doesn't even understand why he feels as such, but maybe he'll know the answer if he knew who was inside his cabin. For all he knows, he had been drugged and these are the side effects.

When he reached his door, he almost bumps into someone's back, making them both stumble back, but he manages to catch him, holding him by his arms before spinning him around to make him face him. Chanyeol could feel himself lose his breath and unable to speak when he sees who it was.  _It can't be..._

It feels like the spark that he had once lost was back, giving him life, warmth, and dreams.

"Baekhyun?" he whispers, and the man looks at him, frowning as he gives Chanyeol a once over. Chanyeol doesn't care though, because all it matters was that Baekhyun was here, and he doesn't have to look for him because he's just within his reach, "You're here? Are you really?"

Baekhyun holds his wrist, not too tight, but enough for him to be able to guide him back to his bed. Chanyeol notices that his other hand was holding something else, and he finds himself letting out a laugh, because Baekhyun was holding a sandwich, which he guesses as a peanut butter one.  

It seems so unreal, but Chanyeol couldn't wish for anything more.

Baekhyun forces him to sit down, and Chanyeol complies, finding himself not being able to look away from the silver-haired boy. Something was different now with Baekhyun. He looks calm, composed, and a lot neater than the last time he saw him. He was wearing one of Chanyeol's clothes, which he doesn't even remember letting him borrow, so he guesses he took it when he passed out. Chanyeol looks around and sees a set of clothes thrown on the side of his drawer, full of dirt and slime that made Chanyeol look at it with distaste. However, that wasn't the important thing here.  

 _Baekhyun._ He's back. And even if he's facing a lot of problems, a lot of mysteries to unfold, he could only find himself being happy that he has someone to be with in his lonely cabin.  

He sees Baekhyun looking at him, confused, like he wants to ask something but he doesn't know how to phrase it. Chanyeol smiles at him and scratches the back of his neck, kind of embarrassed with the way Baekhyun was looking at him.  

His gaze drops down to the sandwich that he's holding, "Is that for me?" he jokes and reaches for it, but Baekhyun suddenly hides it behind his back, pouting. Chanyeol smiles at the move.  

He sees Baekhyun looking at the sandwich then back again at Chanyeol, and he did it for a couple of seconds before sighing, raising the sandwich to his lips, urging him to open up. Chanyeol looks at him, moving his head away, "I was just kidding—“  

He stops talking when he Baekhyun inserts the tip of the bread on his mouth, and Chanyeol tastes the peanut butter immediately. He reaches for the sandwich, takes it with delight and bites it. He looks at Baekhyun and says, "Thank you."

Baekhyun nods and sits beside him, his gaze heavy on Chanyeol's side profile. It wasn't the type of staring that could make Chanyeol uncomfortable. Something with the way his eyes were only focused on Chanyeol made him feel warm and welcomed.  

Chanyeol stares back while chewing the remaining bread that he was given. Now that he looks at Baekhyun clearly, in his eyes, he could see a tinge of worry building on it as he observes Chanyeol quietly. A silent question hanging on the air, probably along the lines of  _Are you okay? a_ nd  _Where have you been?_

Chanyeol chooses to break the silence, "Were you the one who brought me here?" he asks, and Baekhyun nods quietly, his eyes still boring onto Chanyeol's face, but Chanyeol doesn't mind because it's what making him believe that Baekhyun is just beside him. "How?"

"Jongdae," Baekhyun answers, then points at his transceiver, "I called Jongdae."

"You know how to use that?"

"No... but I tried t-to understand it," he answers, stuttering, probably because he didn't want to answer in too many words. Chanyeol appreciates it nonetheless.  

"So, you're talking more now, huh?" Chanyeol teases, and for the first time ever since he met him, he sees Baekhyun's face redden, embarrassed to the point that it made him look away from Chanyeol, scratching the back of his neck.

"I... I am trying," Baekhyun answers, "So that you will understand me."  _And I’m done with my act, too. Because you’re important and I trust you._

"I do understand you," Chanyeol says, lying down, suddenly feeling tired all over again, "But I'm glad you're talking more. It was hard talking to you the last time I saw you."  

Baekhyun doesn't answer and remains sitting on the edge of his bed. Chanyeol wants to offer the other side of his bed, just to not make it look awkward, but he thinks Baekhyun would only reject the offer. Besides, Chanyeol doesn't want to make Baekhyun uncomfortable. He just came back and the last that he wants to happen is for him to leave. The feeling of being alone once again seems unbearable now that Baekhyun is with him.  

Baekhyun looks at him, his mouth opening then closing, as if he's refraining himself to say something. Chanyeol wants to know though, "What is it?"

He looks surprised that Chanyeol had noticed his dilemma. Chanyeol just chuckles and waits for Baekhyun to say something. Baekhyun looks at him, "Are you okay?" he asks hesitantly.

"I thought you were going to ask a million-dollar question that's why you looked so nervous," Chanyeol jokes and finds himself laughing lightly when Baekhyun looks away, a blush forming on his cheeks, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

Baekhyun shook his head, looking down. Chanyeol wants to reach for his hand and rub soothing circles on it, just to give him some sense of calmness, but his hand was a little bit too far for him, so he settles with the small space between them, "I'm okay, Baek. How about you? Where have you been? Are you okay?"

Baekhyun only shook his head again, and looks at Chanyeol, sadness painted on his face, and Chanyeol wonders why so. "Have you been running away again?"

He parts his lips, surprised at the sudden question. Chanyeol remembers the dreams that he was having the past few days, and maybe now is the time to ask him about it, "I saw you in my dreams," he says, and Baekhyun looks genuinely surprised about it. "You were running away from something. I don't know what it is, but I know it's not anything good. Are you okay?"

"I am sorry, Chanyeol," Baekhyun says, moving closer to him, "This is all because of me."

"What are you talking about?" Chanyeol asks, confused, "Is this about my sister? Baek, I already know the truth. And I want to say I'm sorry for ever doubting you. I saw it with my own eyes. It's not my sister that is in the laboratory, and I feel like she's still alive. And now that you're here, you can help me in looking for her! I promise, I'd trust you on wherever you think she is—“

"I am sorry, Chanyeol," he repeats, shaking his head. Chanyeol was surprised to see him wiping the side of his cheek, a tear falling from his eyes. Before Chanyeol could even ask what the problem was, Baekhyun speaks and crushes every bubbling hope in his chest, "She is gone..."

"What?" he asks, almost like a whisper. "But you told me she was still alive. That it wasn't her that they saw."

Baekhyun kept shaking his head, and this time, he doesn't try to wipe the tears that were falling from his eyes, "Unknown... she is gone... I couldn't do anything. I am sorry. This is all my fault."

"I don't understand..." Chanyeol says, lost. He sits up, and he finds himself able to move like the usual again. It was weird for him, but Chanyeol doesn't press any further as his thoughts were only occupied with the thought that his sister is really gone now. Baekhyun said so himself.

He said that the moment Baekhyun comes back, he would believe in everything that he's got to say but hearing Baekhyun saying the thing he doesn't want to happen the most makes him feel like he doesn't want to believe in him all over again.

One moment he was happy that Baekhyun is back, and that he could again hope that he would see his sister, and have Baekhyun as his friend again, but it only crumbles down.

"I am sorry, Chanyeol—“

"Fuck! Can you stop saying sorry and make me understand!?" Chanyeol says, suddenly feeling annoyed at the fact that Baekhyun kept on saying sorry when Chanyeol doesn't even know what it's for. Is it really all his fault? He doesn't think so, but Baekhyun was surely blaming himself for everything that happened.  

He sees Baekhyun biting the bottom of his lip, not wanting to talk after Chanyeol's outburst. Chanyeol sighs, ruffling his hair, "I'm sorry. I'm just... confused. The past few days has been confusing for me. I was lost,  _still_ lost, and no one can make me understand what has been happening in my life recently besides you. One minute, I was hoping my sister is alive, then I discover that she's gone, then I'm going to know that it was a fake body that was in there. And I go back to believing that she's still out there, and now you're telling me that she's  _gone?_ I don't know. I just... feel like it's a cycle. It's like a circle that we keep on encountering, and the only thing it's doing is confusing us. It seems like we're not heading anywhere besides the  _start."_

"I am sorry—“

"Stop saying sorry! Make me understand!" Chanyeol says exasperatedly. Baekhyun was shaking his head, and he hears him say, "You won't listen to me..."

When he hears that, Chanyeol understands where it was coming from. Suddenly, he's back on that night he pushed Baekhyun away, that night that he said things to Baekhyun that he had immediately regretted when it came out of his mouth. Chanyeol looks at him guiltily, "I'm sorry, Baek... I just want to know. I'm going to listen now. I'm not going to push you away the way I did that night...."

Baekhyun looks at him, as if he's trying to find the sincerity in Chanyeol or something else. Whatever it is that he was looking for, Chanyeol thinks he has found it. Baekhyun sighs, looks down, and plays with the  _Fearless_ bracelet on his wrist before looking back into Chanyeol's eyes, "You can blame me, Chanyeol."

"How am I going to blame you when I don't even know what you did?"

Baekhyun doesn't reply. Instead, he looks away and focuses his gaze on the photograph of him and his sister, "It is because of me that she died..."

"What—“

"If I did not let my fear take over me, maybe I could have been able to bring her back to you and your family," Baekhyun says, a tear falling on his cheek, "She was there when I last saw her, still alive, but trapped. I knew I should have looked for a way to save her instead of trying to escape the monster. I should have let her live and I should be the one that has been chained. She was more powerful than me, a lot more capable than me. She deserves to be out of that hell and be back here where she belongs. This is all because of  _me,_ Chanyeol, my fears, my incapability, my stupidity. This is because of  _me._ You are right. I should have gotten back on the laboratory and let myself be chained in that place because that is where I belong. Not here in Hawkins."

Baekhyun stops talking, letting out a sob. He was trembling and no matter how much he wants to comfort him, Chanyeol can't bring himself to move, taken aback with what Baekhyun had just said.  

"All I did was run away. Because it is the only thing I could do. I am not fearless. I will never be, but the thought that I could be in someone's eyes was comforting. But it wasn't enough for me to have the courage to fight," Baekhyun continues, tracing the letters  _Fearless._ "I wanted so much to prove that she was still alive, that I was right all along. That is why I chose to disappear — to face my fears and go back to the darkness, to save your sister and bring her back to you. But I was too late. I failed, again. I have nothing else to blame but myself, because she could have been alive if I helped her the first time. I just—“

Baekhyun finds it hard to continue because he lips were shaking too much, and he couldn't find any way for him to calm down. All that was running on his mind was the image of Three, alone and lifeless in the Unknown, with no way of Baekhyun being able to help her.  

Chanyeol moves closer to him, hugs him, and hopes that it would somehow stop him from shaking too much. Chanyeol was still confused, lost, and he wants to ask so many questions, but the one thing that he wants to do was to calm Baekhyun down and tell him that it wasn't his fault, that maybe he could've prevented it, but that doesn't make him the reason why she's gone.  

Baekhyun was still shaking, clinging onto Chanyeol's shirt, as he sobs, the thought of Three still on his mind, and how disappointed he is to himself because he couldn't save her. He had disappointed himself, Three, and most especially, Chanyeol. He can't be a friend. A friend helps another friend, and Baekhyun wasn't able to do it to the both of them.

Chanyeol just stays like that, hugging him and letting Baekhyun bask in his warmth. He was still sobbing, trying to speak, “I am s-sorry… I… I am… the reason why this is happening…”

“Stop saying that,” Chanyeol whispers.

Baekhyun shakes his head and presses his face onto Chanyeol’s shoulder. He doesn’t stop crying.

“I could not save your sister, and I almost failed in saving  _you,”_ he says, and Chanyeol is sure he heard it correctly. What does he mean by saving  _him?_  

He lets go of Baekhyun and pushes him lightly, holding him by his arm to make him look at him, “What are you saying?”

“I am sorry…” Baekhyun says again, and Chanyeol waits for him to explain what he means, “It is because of me that he almost got you… I let him in… and now he’s trying to take over the entire Hawkins and… Yeol, I am sorry. I want to protect you… I almost… failed…”

“Baek, I don’t understand.” Chanyeol says, lost with whatever it is that Baekhyun means.

“The monster… he almost got you. He would have eaten you alive the moment you pass out… and it almost happened… I am sorry… these should not be happening if it were not for me. Yeol, I am sorry…” he says and keeps on repeating the word  _sorry_ , sobbing, “I only went back to Hawkins to say goodbye… to see you one last time… but I did not know he followed me until here… I am sorry… You should not have seen me today. I was going to let you think that this is all a dream. So that you would not know that I came back. I only wanted to say goodbye… not this…”

“Baek, what are you saying? Why are you saying goodbye when you just arrived?”

“Yeol, I am the reason why you almost got killed,” Baekhyun says, breathing heavily, preventing himself from letting out another sob. He looks at Chanyeol, his eyes red from crying, “I am the reason why there are many strange things happening to Hawkins. It is because of me that the peaceful life here has gone upside down— why  _your_ life has gone upside down. And it is only me that could stop everything that is happening.”

“I don’t understand. What are you trying to say?”

“I am here to say goodbye. So that you can go on with your life without having to worry for your life and for the safety of everyone in Hawkins. I cannot bear living life knowing a lot of people died because of  _my_ mistake,” Baekhyun says, and looks up, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall, “I am sorry, Chanyeol. I really am. But I am now willing to face my fears, my consequences, and I will be doing my best stop everything from happening…”  

Before Chanyeol could even react, Baekhyun stands up, wiping the traces of tears on his cheek. Chanyeol holds his hand, stopping him from where he was heading, “Where you going?”

“Leaving. Back to the Unknown.”

“Baek, why are you doing this?” Chanyeol asks, and he sees Baekhyun look at him, his lips pursed, unable to answer, “How sure are you that you’ll be able to stop everything from happening by leaving? Even  _you_ are not sure if it’s going to work.”

“Yeol, I have to go,” Baekhyun says, tugging his hand out of Chanyeol’s grasp, but Chanyeol tightens his hold. Baekhyun looks at him, and the glaring was back again, as if he’s trying to command him to do something.  

Chanyeol doesn’t budge, “You know that doesn’t work on me, right?” Baekhyun continues looking at him in the same way, “Whatever you’re trying to make me think, it’s not working. You’re real, you’re here, and you will listen to whatever it is that I’ll be saying. Stop being stubborn, and sit here.”

Baekhyun doesn’t make any move and instead, he continues to wiggle his hand out of Chanyeol’s grasp. Chanyeol pulls him towards him, making him fall to him, but Chanyeol catches him and engulfs him in a hug, “Baek, I believe you. Please, listen to me. Okay?” Chanyeol whispers, and Baekhyun stops moving, feeling the warmness of Chanyeol’s voice. Baekhyun nods, and that’s when Chanyeol lets go of him to let him sit down beside him.

Once he sees Baekhyun settled down, he heaves a sigh, and looks at Baekhyun who was waiting for him to speak, “At some point, I do blame you—“

“—I am sorry—“

“—No, let me finish,” Chanyeol says, stopping Baekhyun from giving him another apology, “I gave you the benefit of doubt the first night I met you. I didn’t know who you were and you seemed suspicious, but then you mentioned something about my sister, so I figured, maybe you were someone important to my mission. I kept you around, made you think that I could be a friend, when in reality, I only wanted to know where my sister was and after that, I was planning on arresting you or bringing you back to the Hawkins National Laboratory.”

Baekhyun looks hurt with what he had just said, and Chanyeol wants to comfort him, and tell him it isn’t the truth, but Chanyeol was telling the truth, and Baekhyun had to know it, “But then, somewhere along the way, I considered you a friend. Someone I can talk to, someone whom I can protect, or someone that I can trust especially with my secret mission. Even for a short time, I saw that you were genuine… that you wanted to help me, that’s why when I saw my sister’s lifeless body near the hotel, I felt betrayed, cheated because I kept on believing in you and it ended up that you broke my trust.

“That’s when I started blaming you— my misery, my pain, and every wrong thing that happened in my life I blamed it to you. I felt lost, confused, and I didn’t see any reason for me to believe in anyone, even myself, to my duties, and to everything. But know that the moment those words came out of my mouth, I regretted it. You didn’t deserve it. I considered you as my friend, and friends don’t do things that would only hurt them,” Chanyeol explains while Baekhyun was listening intently, “And when I knew that it wasn’t my sister that was at the laboratory, I got mad,  _really_ mad, at the people from there, at  _myself,_ because I should’ve believed you. Mad at the Hawkins National Laboratory because it drove me away from the truth— from  _you_. And I wanted so bad to look for you but you were good in hiding, running away, and I didn’t have any idea where you were. It felt too heavy for me to move. I was so confused. It was all that I could think about at night.  _You_ were all that I could think about at night,” he confesses.

“And maybe that’s the reason why I kept on seeing you in my dreams…” Chanyeol says, remembering the vivid dreams that kept on visiting him at night, “Baekhyun, you’re telling me that you’re going back to the Unknown, the place that you’ve been trying to evade. And you want to do everything on your own? To seek justice for my sister and to protect everyone in Hawkins?”

“It is for the better…” Baekhyun replies, “It is only me that could do it. No one else. I am the only one left from the children of 1982.”  

“I know it’s only you who could put a stop to it, but what I’m trying to say is that someone could help you along the process!” Chanyeol argues, “It’s not only the Unknown that should have a stop. The root cause of everything has too— the Hawkins National Laboratory. I know all of these are connected, and if these things do not stop, it will keep on going. And that’s not what you want, right?”

Baekhyun nods, and Chanyeol proceeds on making his point, “Everything is risky. You could go back to that world the way you do it, but then the laboratory would try and try to look for you, to go anywhere that would get you back. It is very possible for them to discover that place—“

“—They know it,” Baekhyun says, stopping Chanyeol, “They were the ones who detected it.”

“Then why are you saying it’s your fault when it’s clearly  _theirs!?”_ Chanyeol exclaims, “If it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be in this state. You wouldn’t be running in circles, you wouldn’t have discovered it, and no one would’ve died! You’re a victim to their mess. Shouldn’t they be the one putting a stop to it instead of you?”

“No,” Baekhyun replies, “They are keeping it for their discovery. And it was because of me that the two have connected again.  _I_ am part of the cause—“

“Why do you keep on putting all of the blame on yourself!?”  

“Because only bad things happen when I am here! I only bring harm instead of safety!”

“Baek, if it wasn’t for you, I’m probably dead already! No one could ever save me from that creature except  _you._ You don’t know how powerful you can be, and how much good you can give!” he says, frustrated, “Look, I’m just saying, I could help you in trying to put a stop to all of this—“

“No,” Baekhyun immediately answers, “Not safe.”

“I know that,” Chanyeol replies, “But you’re doing this for my sister, for you to prevent everything to get worse. And me, I want to seek justice for my sister’s death, and every wrong thing that the Hawkins National Laboratory had done. Don’t you want it? So that they could stop? So that they don’t try to look for more people to be their subjects?”

“But Chanyeol—“

“—I’m right, Baekhyun. I know I am. And even if you don’t want me to help you, I’ll still be doing everything that I could to put a stop on the plans of laboratory,” Chanyeol says, “I’m pretty sure they’re already planning how to kill me. Might as well enjoy the rest of my days.”

“Kill you?” Baekhyun asks, and he finds him glaring at his door, as if he wants to bolt out of it.

“Empty threat, Baekhyun,” he lies. He doesn’t want to mention about the camera, and everything that the doctor has said to him. It would be harder for him to persuade Baekhyun in letting him help.

Chanyeol knows what they’re doing is risky, dangerous, and it can break dozens of laws, but Chanyeol was doing something  _right,_ not only to seek justice for his sister, but to also protect the entire Hawkins from the dangers that its own people could give.

“Baekhyun, I don’t care if this is dangerous. I’m doing this for the sake of fighting for the mistreating that the Hawkins National Laboratory had done, for kidnapping those children, my sister, and everyone that they have caused trouble to. This is  _my_ job, Baekhyun. And yours would be putting a stop to it with your abilities,” Chanyeol proposes, “I could be the distraction, and you could be the one to do the one vital part. We’re going to work together to put a stop to all of this. It’s the least that I could do to give justice to my sister. It’s the only thing that would keep me in peace, the only thing that would let me sleep at night.”

Baekhyun seems to be considering what he’s saying, and Chanyeol waits for him to make his decision. Even if Baekhyun will disagree, Chanyeol will still help. He has his own stubbornness. Baekhyun seems to keep quiet and looking only at Chanyeol. Chanyeol looks at him and plasters a small smile on his face, “You know for me, silence means yes.”

Baekhyun doesn’t answer and Chanyeol can’t help smiling, “So, is that a yes?” No reply. Chanyeol doesn’t know if it’s right to rejoice internally but he does so anyway, “Good then what’s the plan?”

“I have originally planned to do things on my own, but with you, I would have to consider different things,” Baekhyun says, thinking, “The first place we will be going to will be the station. We have to enter from there, and get into the laboratory’s tunnel. I do not know much about the Hawkins National Laboratory, and the only thing I could remember was the cell they throw me to. From there, it would be messy, but you will be staying in the Hawkins National Laboratory. You have to get away from the Unknown the moment we step foot on it.”  

Chanyeol wants to say that he wants to go with him in the Unknown and be out with him, and not only by himself, but Chanyeol doesn’t say it out loud. He doesn’t want to risk Baekhyun not allowing him to do his plans.

“Files, proofs, and any concrete thing would be the first that I would look for in the Hawkins National Laboratory. I don’t think they would notice me if there’s something going on the other side. But I’ll be the one who’ll try to cause attention so that it would confuse them where to go,” Chanyeol suggests, and Baekhyun just nods, “Are there any weapons that I’d have to bring?”

“Light. Lots of light, because we would be doing everything in the dark,” Baekhyun says, “The monster loves the dark, and any living thing is his food. Like you. And that is the reason why you should not come but even if I do not want you to come with me, I know that will not stop you.”

“Baekhyun, in my dreams, it almost got you too. You would be in the same danger as I am, and I told you I don’t  _care_ about it. I’m willing to risk everything, even if it’s my own safety,” Chanyeol explains, “Besides, maybe this could be the story that I could tell in the future.”  

Baekhyun looks at him, confused with what he’s talking about, his eyes searching for an answer, but Chanyeol only shakes his head, “I know someone that would help us about the Hawkins National Laboratory, but I don’t know if he would be someone we could trust when it comes to your identity.”

“I could find a way,” Baekhyun says. Chanyeol remembers that Baekhyun could change something in his appearance, and they wouldn’t be able to recognize him. Chanyeol sometimes forgets that he has the ability to make himself look whatever he wants.

“Okay, we’ll go there first thing in the morning. He’s far from here, and it would take hours for us to get there,” Chanyeol explains, followed by a yawn, “We should take a rest. It’ll be a long day for us.”

“You should,” Baekhyun replies and stands up to go to his living room.

“ _We_ should, Baek. Come here. It’s not like it’s your first time sleeping in this room. I could sleep on the floor again,” Chanyeol says, getting his own set of pillow, dropping it onto the floor. He holds Baekhyun’s wrist and guides him towards his bed.  

Baekhyun sits on his bed, and Chanyeol chooses to sit on the floor, his blanket as his bed. Chanyeol doesn’t care. It’s still comfortable, and having the idea that he could sleep again calms him down. He doesn’t wait for Baekhyun to lie down, and chooses to do it first, making himself comfortable.  

Baekhyun was looking down on him, his brows furrowed as he looks at Chanyeol on his position. He looks at the other side of the bed, then back again at Chanyeol, “Sleep here,” he says and pats the other side of the bed.  

Chanyeol looks at him, “Eh?”

Baekhyun holds him by his wrist, tugging him up, and Chanyeol complies, “Here.”

Baekhyun was looking at him again like _that._ And Chanyeol doesn’t want to admit it but he kind of missed that pleading look, the same look he was weak for, giving him no choice but to comply. “Okay.”

He gets his set and places it on his bed. He was near the lamp, and usually, Chanyeol would turn it off, but being with Baekhyun and the idea of being in the dark again with some monster prevents him from doing so. He feels Baekhyun lying down quietly, covering himself with a blanket. Chanyeol looks at him and sees that he had given the both of them a fair amount of space. He was facing Chanyeol, and he was just there looking at him.

Up close he could appreciate Baekhyun’s face more. There were no more bruises in it, and only faint marks were visible. And if it was gone, Chanyeol’s sure that his skin would be as soft as a baby. His eyes were droopy, perfect for Baekhyun’s innocent-like face. He had thin lips, pink, and Chanyeol could see a mole on his upper lip. He couldn’t help staring at his lips. Chanyeol wants to trace it, to touch it and check if it’s just as soft as he thinks it is, but he doesn’t dare to try. Instead, he looks away and faces the ceiling.

Chanyeol knows that what he had proposed could risk a lot of things. He could leave the world earlier than he had expected or it would have a good outcome. But all of this that he’s trying to do is what should be done. If no one will do it, then he’d gladly step up. It would be his own way to seek justice for his sister, and it could also be the way for him to stop the laboratory. However, there’s one reason that he didn’t want to say out loud. Mostly because it was about Baekhyun. He doesn’t know why, but the thought of Baekhyun doing it all on his own wasn’t a good idea for him. And he didn’t want to lose him forever, that’s why he’s trying to help, because if they succeed, no one will leave. The both of them won’t be alone and they would be able to live their life freely, just the way they want it to be.

He lost a reason for him to strive harder in life, so he has to look for another, and maybe Baekhyun could be the one for it.

He remembers Baekhyun saying that he was anything but fearless. Chanyeol begs to disagree. He has said this before, but for him, Baekhyun is fearless, and he looks a lot more as such now that he’s trying to mend things and save Hawkins even if knowing that he’ll have to face the person he’s been trying to run away from.

“Hey, Baek,” Chanyeol mentions. He receives a hum in reply, “For the record, I think you’re fearless the way you are now. And I admire you for that.”

Chanyeol looks at him and sees Baekhyun’s eyes closed, and he thinks he didn’t hear what he just said, but then a smile was slowly forming on his lips. Chanyeol wants to assume that it’s because of him.  

He turns and faces Baekhyun, smiles, “Baek, you still consider me as your friend, right?” Chanyeol asks quietly. Baekhyun doesn’t answer for a while, and Chanyeol thinks he’s already asleep, but then Baekhyun nods lightly, and if Chanyeol wasn’t looking carefully, he would’ve missed it.  

Chanyeol couldn’t help grinning as he closes his eyes and whispers, “Good night, Baek.”

“Night, Yeol.”

 

 

He knows he said that he would be going to the station today to help in the recent case, but Chanyeol couldn’t bring himself to get up. He feels comfortable lying on his own bed, and it feels like he hasn’t had this comfortable sleep  _for years_. Not even a telephone call disturbed him. Plus, his view when he woke up beats every beautiful view that he had ever seen.  

Baekhyun was just beside him, the space still there but it feels nice to know that he’s just within his reach. Chanyeol wants to touch his face, just to make sure that he was real and that he’s not some beauty that came out of his imagination. He doesn’t do it though, and instead, he relishes the warmness that he’s feeling, the calmness, because a few days, or  _hours,_ it would be gone and they’ll be back on having the most dangerous thing that they’ll be doing.

However, time is ticking and they have to get to do things. Chanyeol gets up, goes straight to his kitchen as quietly as possible. Near his sink, he could see a jar of peanut butter capped properly. Chanyeol wants to laugh, because it’s obviously Baekhyun who got it out. His bag of groceries were neatly placed on the table, not a single thing out of it besides the peanut butter.

He does his morning routine in a rush, not bothering to clean up his face too much since most of it were at his bathroom. He proceeds on opening his cabinets, looking for something that they could eat. Chanyeol wants to prepare something else other than a peanut butter sandwich. Don’t get him wrong. He would have preferred to make a peanut butter sandwich just because it’s what Baekhyun likes the most, but when he checked his watch and saw that it was already near noon, he thinks of any other food that would fill their stomachs, and something that would be fast enough to eat for them to get going with their plans. It’s a good thing he chose to go to the grocery last night, even if it ended with him almost getting killed.  

Chanyeol didn’t have the time to think about it last night because he was preoccupied with Baekhyun and his… everything. But now that he’s just cooking quietly, he tries to remember everything that happened last night. It wasn’t the face that he could remember. It was the  _feeling._ He could feel his soul being ripped out of him, and he feels like all of his hopes had vanished, and there’s no more to hold onto besides the thought of being  _dead._ Chanyeol wants to believe that he’s a person who has good enough fighting skills, but he is no match to a person who could make him soulless in an instant.

Baekhyun was right when he said he was not easy to fight. Chanyeol’s just glad that Baekhyun was there to save him, to be his saving light.

He hears a slam of a door, and rushed footsteps coming from the direction of his room. He waits for the person to come to his view, and when he sees Baekhyun looking around frantically, his brows furrowed, he tries to call him, “Baek?”

Baekhyun looks at him, his face evident with worry, and Chanyeol wonders what got him worried the moment he woke up. Well, okay, sure, there are a lot of things that they have to worry about, especially that they have planned for something that would only kill them, but he wants him to calm down and erase the worry that is painted on his face.

He thinks Baekhyun lets out a sigh in relief when he sees him standing on his kitchen. He walks slowly towards one of his stools, sits down, waits for Chanyeol to finish. Chanyeol returns his gaze to what he was cooking, humming to  _Endless Love_ that had somehow entered to his mind the moment he saw Baekhyun.  

He hears Baekhyun moving his stool, and reaches for something, “Yeol?”

“Yeah?” he asks, not bothering to look at Baekhyun. He opens his drawer and gets few sets of plates and placed it on his counter.  

“J-Jongdae said… I s-should give this t-to you,” Baekhyun stutters, suddenly uncomfortable again with talking too much. Chanyeol spares a glance to what Baekhyun was talking about and sees that it was a brown envelope, “H-he says… n-not to go to work. And t-that this is important.”

“Okay, wait up,” Chanyeol replies, placing the plates on his table and giving Baekhyun utensils. He puts a few pieces of food on top of Baekhyun’s plate, and before Baekhyun could even refuse, he looks at him and smiles, “Let’s eat.”

Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol and sees the way his small smile could make a dimple appear, and it was nice to look at, Baekhyun thinks. He sees Chanyeol putting another of the food on top of his plate, and Baekhyun feels like something is churning on his stomach upon seeing that Chanyeol was putting him first, and not bothering to put one on his plate first. He couldn’t help but say, “Thank you,” and it holds so much meaning when it comes from him because he has a lot of things to be thankful for, and it’s only for Chanyeol.

Chanyeol looks at him, surprised, caught off guard. He didn’t know what he was thanking for, but nonetheless, he smiles and says, “No problem.”

When Chanyeol sees Baekhyun eating already, he focuses on putting food to his. After doing so, he reaches for the envelope that Jongdae wanted him to see. He immediately regrets it because the photographs inside it were too much to take in, and he suddenly wants to throw up despite not eating anything.  

It was the pictures from last night, the one that had died in the Interwoods. It was still as disgusting as it could be, but it was different in a photograph. He flips through the other photographs and sees that it were just from different angles. What catches his attention the most makes him drop his spoon, making Baekhyun look at him worriedly.  

It was a picture of him being held by his neck. A masking tape was present below along with a mark,  _From M. Heechul,_ it says. Someone saw them and had managed to capture  _evidence._ This was it. He has a proof, but Chanyeol know it’s not enough to stop the institute altogether but it’s enough for him to have the drive, to have hope that he’ll be able to put a stop to all of it.  

Baekhyun stands up and looks at the photograph. His eyes widen at the sight, and it makes him take a step back, terrified. Chanyeol looks at him and asks, “What’s wrong?”

“They… they did that to you?” Baekhyun asks, almost breathless as he looks at Chanyeol with wide eyes.

“Yes… they wanted me to bring you back to them but I refused,” Chanyeol explains, rubbing the back of his neck, the pain still there but not as severe as last night.

Baekhyun seems like he knew something, and his gaze keeps on darting to the back of his neck. Chanyeol thinks that he was worried, and starting to blame himself, “It’s okay now. It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s not your fault. I let them do it.”

Baekhyun only shook his head, and stares intently at the back of his neck, “Tracker.”

“What?”

“Tracker,” Baekhyun repeats, his eyes boring to the back of his neck, “It could be a tracker.”

“I don’t think so. It was only his fingers that kept digging on his skin. It felt painful, yes, but I don’t think he was able to put something,” Chanyeol says, rubbing the back of his neck. Baekhyun doesn’t look like he was believing him, so Chanyeol holds his hand and says, “Don’t you think they would’ve went here as soon as they knew you were here with me?”  

Baekhyun seems to consider what he said, and looks at his eyes, searching for answers. Chanyeol just looks at him and smiles. Baekhyun’s gaze lowers down to their hands, and it looks like he had thought of something, making him retract his hand and nod meekly. What he doesn’t know was that Baekhyun suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe the moment he looked at him, and he could feel a spark igniting the moment their hands had touched. It was a first, and it scared Baekhyun, not knowing how could he make him feel as such.

“Besides, I think we’re getting closer to what we need. I’m having more reasons to despise the laboratory and to bring them down. We’re slowly getting answers and honestly? I’ve got a good feeling about this,” Chanyeol says confidently and sprawls out the photographs Jongdae had given for Baekhyun to see. Baekhyun’s eyes widen when he sees each photograph. Chanyeol taps the tape on the photograph and Baekhyun looks at him curiously, not knowing what it means, “We’re going to Madman Heechul.”

 

 

Madman Heechul’s place was on the end of Hawkins, near the train station. His house was the only thing that has been built there, and for some reason, nobody else tried building a house. Only a motel near this place could be seen, and it has the same outside appearance—shabby, old, and mostly unoccupied.  

There’s nothing special with his house. It was in the middle of a lawn, shabby, small, perfect for one person, and it’s surrounded by noise, given that it’s a place where everybody goes to when they travel. Luckily, there was no event in other cities or in Hawkins, so the number of people could be counted with his fingers.  

The house, on the outside, was dark and isolated, as if no on lives in it. For Chanyeol, it wasn’t the best place to locate a house, but then again, he’s Chanyeol and he’s Madman Heechul, and their preferences differ. No question in that.

“You did something?” Chanyeol asks Baekhyun, and he nods in reply, “Good. I can’t say he’s the best person to talk to but he has a lot of knowledge about the Hawkins National Laboratory, and even if I do not want to talk to him, I guess it’s really inevitable.”

Baekhyun removes his seatbelt and opens the door, not bothering to wait for Chanyeol to go out first. He waits for Chanyeol outside his car, leaning. Chanyeol soon follows Baekhyun and stands close to him. He sees Baekhyun’s face illuminated with the setting sun, his face glowing under it, and it was beautiful that he almost forgot that they were here to talk to someone, not to appreciate a breathtaking view. Baekhyun looks at him and raises a brow. Chanyeol looks away and clears his throat, “There’s only one house here and that’s where we’ll go.”

Baekhyun nods and follows Chanyeol’s lead. He was just walking behind him, looking down, averting his gaze to somewhere else instead of the Hawkins Train Station. He knows it’s impossible for the monster to come get them when there’s still daylight, but that monster is capable of something that could end all of Baekhyun’s knowledge of the dark world.

He holds the hem of Chanyeol’s shirt, his fingers slightly gripping on it. Chanyeol stops for a moment and looks at the fingers on the hem of his shirt, and instead of letting it stay there until they reach the shabby house, he holds Baekhyun’s hand, clasping it together. Baekhyun looks at him, surprised, and he tries to retract his hand but Chanyeol only squeezes it. He smiles and says, “Don’t worry, Baek. I’m here.”

Baekhyun finds himself relaxing at that.

With his free hand, Chanyeol knocks at the wooden door, waiting for someone to open it. They stay there for a while, and Baekhyun takes it as an opportunity to look around and get to know the place. It was isolated, away from the people on purpose.

The door opens slightly, and Chanyeol sees someone peeking from behind. Chanyeol smiles and waves, “Hello, Madma— I mean, Mr. Heechul,”

Heechul frowns at him, probably wondering why the hell Officer Park is still alive and breathing in the same as him given that he made an article about him to make the Hawkins National Laboratory suspicious about him.  He sees his gaze flicker to Baekhyun, confused, then his eyes lower down to their clasped hands, and Chanyeol has half the mind to hide it from him. Heechul smirks, unlocks his door fully, and opens the door for them, “Afternoon, Officer Park. Come in.”

Chanyeol thought he would’ve had to persuade the man to let them in, but it turns out that it was easier to communicate with him. He really thinks everything will go well.

Hand in hand, they follow Madman Heechul inside. Heechul looks at them and points at his couch, “You can sit there. I’ll get you some drink.”

It was weird how _nice_ Madman Heechul was to them, and it should’ve turned on Chanyeol’s alarm signals but it doesn’t so he just follows him. Baekhyun was trying to wiggle his hand out once they have seated, and Chanyeol lets go of it when he realizes he was still gripping on it tightly, securing him. He looks away from Baekhyun, embarrassed at being too comfortable with the way Baekhyun’s hand fit perfectly well with his.  

Chanyeol looks around the house. It was messy, and he briefly wonders how could someone live in such place without having to live with rats. There were clothes on the floor, dozens of paper on the table, and a there was a typewriter to the side. To his wall, there was a cork board. It was filled with colorful notes, push pins, pictures, and yarns, connecting each other. Chanyeol was just about to stand up and look at it, curious as to what it indicates, when suddenly, Madman Heechul blocks his view by standing in front of him, holding 3 cans of unopened soda. He gives him the two of it, “Here,” he says and turns his back on them, picking up a cloth and covering his board with it.

The act seems suspicious to him, but Chanyeol tries to shrug it off, thinking that maybe it was just of those things that help him make those unreliable articles. Chanyeol chooses not to pry, and instead focuses on opening the can, and giving it to Baekhyun who accepts it mindlessly.

“So, what brings you here, Officer Park?” Madman Heechul asks, sitting on the seat opposite to them. Before Chanyeol could even reply, Heechul turns his head towards Baekhyun’s direction and smiles widely, “Are you new here? I’m sure I’ve never seen you around. Not that I go out that much, but I could say I know  _everyone_  in this town, so it’s hard to ignore a new face like you.”

Baekhyun nods, not bothering to talk to him as he drinks his soda. Heechul doesn’t seem to mind though and completely ignores Chanyeol as he focuses his gaze more on Baekhyun, “I like your tattoos. Are  _those_ real? Your piercing too, it looks nice. You look like some of those artists on television. Are you one of those?”

Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun, and he looks completely normal to him. Silver hair, marks on his skin, thin, and nothing else special besides the 004 tattoo on his wrist. He’s sure he heard Madman Heechul say  _those tattoos_ and Chanyeol wonders what Baekhyun looks like in Madman Heechul’s eyes.  

Baekhyun merely shrugs and avoids conversing with Heechul. He moves closer to Chanyeol, pressing himself to his side, and Chanyeol lets him, thinking that he was starting to get uncomfortable.

“So, where are you from?” Heechul asks, and Chanyeol thinks he’s asking too many questions when he should be the one that was doing it.  

He doesn’t let Baekhyun answer, and turns to Madman Heechul, “Mr. Heechul—“

“Just Heechul is fine.”

“Right, uh,” Chanyeol says, not knowing where to start, “We came here to ask some questions about this,” Chanyeol gets the folded photograph from his pocket and unfolds it to show Madman Heechul, “What do you know about this?”

Heechul smirks, not even sparing a glance to the photograph, and continues to play with his can just because he already knows what it is, “That could’ve landed on the front page. Too bad your friend managed to snatch the only copy that I have.”  

“Excuse me?”

“That’s my copy. Didn’t give it to him, but he had managed to get it from me,” Heechul explains, smirks, “Would’ve been the end of Hawkins National Laboratory, and the end of  _you,”_ he says straightforwardly.

“Well, I’m here, and I could do something to end the Hawkins National Laboratory. I want to let you know that I’m against the Laboratory and I’d be willing to dig more about them that’s why I,  _we,_ came here because we know you have a lot to say about them,” Chanyeol says, determination evident on his voice, “What do you say?”

Heechul smirks and looks at Chanyeol, “What do I get from this?”

“Money—“

“I don’t need money, Officer Park.”

“Isn’t the end of the Hawkins National Laboratory the best payment that I could give to you?” Chanyeol proposes, “You’d have a more stable and credible job without the Hawkins National Laboratory interfering with you. And a lot more peaceful life without having to worry about every suspicious move that the Laboratory tries to do.”

Heechul remains smirking and Chanyeol wonders what he’s thinking about his idea. He doesn’t know whether he saw it right. One moment Heechul was looking at Baekhyun, his smirk a lot more visible and directed to him, then when Chanyeol looks at him again, it was gone. “Fair enough,” he answers and lean on his seat, “Fire away your questions, Officer Park.”  

“What do you know about the Hawkins National Laboratory?”

“A lot,” Heechul answers, smirking.

“How?”

“I used to work there,” Heechul replies, his gaze far away as he tries to remember. Chanyeol was surprised about it, because if he had actually worked there then shouldn’t he be siding more to them? Chanyeol listens carefully to Heechul’s story, “20 years ago, I was part of the research team of the Hawkins National Laboratory. It started as a small group, the usual research that we do were about technology. We tend to lean more on how to improve Hawkins with its technology so that it could surpass Ignis. I worked undercover, mostly to not make others be curious of our discoveries. I went to different places, along with the others on my team. We discovered different things— channels, radios, any material that could help in creating something.

“Along the process, we have detected something. Something unusual, strange, and we have accidentally opened a portal to it. We didn’t know what it was but we were not risking anything. And it came to the point that we have to use someone and every single thing that we were using to make it possible for that person to survive,” Heechul narrates, both Chanyeol and Baekhyun barely react, trying to process whatever it was that he had just said, “It became a disaster. Actually, disaster was an understatement. It would’ve been the downfall for laboratory, controversies here and there, reports made  _by_ the Hawkins Police Station. And we were fighting with something that we have created— a monster. It could only be stopped if someone closes it there directly, the place where it all started, that one room that only darkness is present. They didn’t want to close it, said it was important, that more research will be done. It was a mess, and I didn’t want to be associated with it, so I went away.

“I know  _everything,_ Park Chanyeol. Why else would I start that column? I even know that the person beside you does  _not_ look like that,” he says, smirking. Chanyeol’s eyes widen and he looks at Baekhyun and they were mirroring the same look, “You forgot that I was the one that made the article about you and _Four._ I can see him. Even if in that state.”

“But… how?” Chanyeol asks, confused. All along, he thought he was the only one who couldn’t be affected with Baekhyun’s power of illusion nor can he be hypnotized by it. The only thing that he could see was his light, nothing else.

“His power only works to those who have a weak mind, those who do not refuse to be controlled. It could be that he can control anyone, but judging by his running away, he wasn’t trained enough,” Heechul says and averts his gaze to Baekhyun who sits still beside Chanyeol, “You can drop the act now. I know who you are. I  _won’t_ report you to the laboratory. I’m against them, remember?” he says to convince Baekhyun.

Baekhyun glares at him, shaking his head. Heechul just smirks. Chanyeol puts his hand on Baekhyun’s thighs, rubbing small circles on it. Baekhyun breaks his focus on Heechul, and looks at Chanyeol. He was giving him a warm gaze, something that could comfort him. Baekhyun wants to ask something to the person in front of them. If it only works with the weak mind, how was he able to see Baekhyun in disguise, and still be able to determine who he really was?

Baekhyun doesn’t trust him, but he thinks Chanyeol does.

Just when Chanyeol was about to speak and say his gratitude, Heechul beats him to it, “It’s getting late already. The ride back home will be a long one. Maybe you guys should stay.”

Chanyeol shakes his hand, trying to say no. He stands up and urges Baekhyun to do the same, and makes them bow. “Oh, no. It’s okay. We’re already taking too much space here—“

“Nonsense! I have another available room. Surely, the both of you can stay there,” Heechul persists, standing up too, “I insist.”

“No, really—“

“It’s okay I insi—“

“We will  _not_ stay,” Baekhyun says, emphasizing the word  _not_. Heechul looks at him and he sees him smirk, his eyes glinting with mischief, but is soon gone as if it never was there.

“Look, it’s already dark outside,” Heechul says, pointing at his window. The both of them turn to its direction and they see that it was already dark, and only a couple of lights were working in his area, “Surely, you do not want to travel in the dark, right?”

The both of them freeze, knowing that the last thing that they would want to do was to be back on the dark. Sure, Baekhyun could use his light, but he doesn’t think he has enough energy to last long. The man in front of them has a point, but his distrust towards him was growing every second that passes by, and he doesn’t know what he should consider. His priority was Chanyeol’s safety. He guesses he has no choice but to stay in a place that is only giving him the creeps.  

Besides, if ever things turn the other way around, he’ll be fast enough to think of another way. Another way for him to be able to save himself and Chanyeol.

He looks at Chanyeol and he sees him staring at him, expecting something. He guesses he was waiting for his go signal, so he just nods and looks down, not wanting to see the way Chanyeol looks at him. Heechul sees it, and they both miss the smirk that appears on his lips because by the time Chanyeol looked at him, it was gone.  

“We’ll stay.” Chanyeol says and grins.  

“Great!” Heechul says excitedly, clasps his hands together before turning his back on them, mumbling something before saying, “I’ll be preparing food. Both of you should go to my spare room, the one with a white door. I think there are extra clothes there but I’m not sure whether it fits.”

Chanyeol nods and holds Baekhyun by his hand as they look for the said room. It wasn’t hard to since the house only had one floor. There were 2 rooms present, one with a red door and one with a white door. They enter the room, and to his surprise, it was clean inside, as if no one had stepped in there for a long time. There was only one bed, a rather small one, “You should take the bed,” Chanyeol suggests.

Baekhyun shook his head and points at one side of the bed and points his finger to himself, then he points the other side of the bed and points his finger to Chanyeol, “Oh, okay.”

Baekhyun wants the both of them to sleep in one bed, just like last night. It shouldn’t make Chanyeol feel something but it does. Chanyeol wasn’t sure how to react to it, but he tries to dismiss everything altogether.

Baekhyun proceeds on rummaging every drawer, looking for the clothes that Heechul had said. There were a lot in each one of them, and it smells old, but still useable nonetheless. He picks one that he thinks would fit him, and another one that he thought would fit Chanyeol. He pushes the clothes to Chanyeol’s chest, and Chanyeol, even though confused, accepts it.  

Chanyeol looks at the shirt he was given. It was plain white, but it looks like it would fit him. It’s good that the man has something that would fit him. He was already sweating the moment they have arrived. He turns around to remove his shirt, and wipes away the beads of sweat forming on his chest. It was something normal that he did, even when they were still on training, so the act wasn’t anything new to him. To him, but not to the person with him.

He doesn’t see Baekhyun looking away as soon as he removes his shirt, his face reddening at the side of Chanyeol’s bare back. It had caught him off guard, and only a few seconds of it had already made its way to Baekhyun’s mind, remembered and photographed. He wants, _needs,_ to shake it away. If he still has his past memories with him, this wouldn’t be something surprising to him, he reasons out.  

When Chanyeol looks at him, his face was evidently worried because Baekhyun’s face was really red, and it seems like it was about to explode. “Baek, are you okay?” he asks, touching his forehead to check if he was heating up.  

Baekhyun steps back, not wanting to be touched by Chanyeol because it was making him  _feel_ something. A spark, warmness, and calmness combined. It makes his heart skip a beat, and he refuses to know why.

Chanyeol looks at him, confused. Baekhyun looks away and nods, clutching the spare shirt he got, trying to release some of the embarrassment he was feeling. However, Chanyeol doesn’t think of it that way and assumes that he was just waiting for Chanyeol to finish changing, “Okay. You can go change now. I’ll try and help Madman— I mean,  _Heechul_ with what he’s doing.” he says and opens the door, leaving it slightly ajar so that Baekhyun wouldn’t feel like he has been locked inside.

When Chanyeol looks up, he sees Madman Heechul talking with someone on his phone, a silent laugh coming from him followed by a smirk as he says his goodbye as soon as he sees Chanyeol standing by the door. Chanyeol doesn’t know why but it somehow made him uneasy, but he tries to shake it away, smiles, “Is there anything I could help with?”  

Heechul’s grin widens before shaking his head, “No need to. I’ve got  _everything_ covered.”

Chanyeol doesn’t miss the way his eyes glint with mischief.  

 

 

Later that night, when they were trying to get ready for bed, with Madman Heechul reminding them to “not be noisy” because he’s just in the next room, Chanyeol thinks about whether it was a good idea to stay to this place. It’s not  _just_ because of the fact that he’s starting to get uncomfortable with Madman Heechul— No, it’s what has been occupying his mind during dinner everytime he would ask personal things to Baekhyun, things Chanyeol knows Baekhyun doesn’t remember because it’s part of his past, but there’s also this one  _tiny_ thing that’s on half of Chanyeol’s mind. Just  _tiny_  not really anything to be bothered about.

He just can’t shake off the overwhelming thought of sleeping beside Baekhyun  _again._ Sure, last night was okay. He wasn’t in his right mind, and the only thing he could think of that time was Baekhyun coming back and telling him those things. He was  _so_ tired that he didn’t even think about it but now that he’s hyper aware of almost every move that he does, it’s starting to get overwhelming for him.

_Get a grip, Park Chanyeol. You’re 27 already. You’re not high school anymore so stop acting like one. It’s not like it’s the first time you’re feeling this._

Except it is his first time. It wasn’t the same when he has occasional hookups. There were no overwhelming feelings there, no bubbling feeling in his chest, just pure lust and rush. It was different… and he’s not sure whether it’s a good one or not.

Chanyeol shakes his head. He has to focus more on the important things— Madman Heechul and his curiosity when it comes to Baekhyun. He wants to believe he has good intentions. After all, he did say all the things that are important with what they’ll be doing, but it was hard to ignore it.

Chanyeol believes that no one can be trusted in this town, and it would be a grave mistake if one ends up in the wrong hands, but nothing will happen if he won’t give the benefit of doubt. He was right with Baekhyun, that he could be trusted but he can’t say the same with Madman Heechul.  

Baekhyun was very transparent with his distrust to him. He kept mum and didn’t pay attention to anything Heechul was saying, but he was sure he was listening, just not engaging.  

“Are you alright?” Baekhyun asks, and Chanyeol snaps out of his trance and looks at him. Baekhyun had his eyebrows furrowed, looking at him weirdly. Chanyeol realizes that he was just standing near the door, probably staring at Baekhyun dumbly.  

The room was only dimly lighted by the lamp, and it’s just perfect so that they’ll not be in the darkness.

Chanyeol laughs nervously, and moves towards his side of the bed, “Yeah, I’m okay. You?”

Baekhyun just shrugs and lies down and turns to face Chanyeol while Chanyeol remains staring at the ceiling. Chanyeol feels like anytime he’ll be falling from the bed, but he tries to stay on the edge so that Baekhyun will have much needed space. He would much rather be uncomfortable than make Baekhyun uncomfortable. Sure, he would choose to put his arm around him so that they’ll both be secured but if Baekhyun doesn’t want it or even initiate it, then he won’t.  

Baekhyun notices the gap between them, and he could see Chanyeol almost only half of his body was on the bed. He holds Chanyeol’s arm and tugs him towards him, but his strength wasn’t enough to move him yet enough to catch Chanyeol’s attention, “What is it?”

“Move,” Baekhyun says, tugging him closer.  

Chanyeol understands it, and his heart almost leaps out of his chest, but he tries to remain calm on the outside. He moves closer to Baekhyun, and faces him. They were now facing each other, and Baekhyun was  _a lot_ closer now, compared to last night. Chanyeol thinks he can even count Baekhyun’s lashes.

They stay like that in silence. Chanyeol was only looking at Baekhyun, while Baekhyun has his eyes closed, his hand still resting on his arm. Chanyeol takes one last look at Baekhyun and was just about to close his eyes, when he suddenly hears a hushed voice calling him, “Yeol?”

“Hmm?”  

“Worried,” Baekhyun whispers and opens his eyes and looks directly at Chanyeol, “I do not trust him. Trouble.”

 _I’m worried,_ Chanyeol wants to say, but he doesn’t because he thinks one of them should at least be in the sound mind with less worries, “We’ll have to trust him, Baek. If we don’t, how else would we be able to know all of those information?”

“Just… I don’t trust him. I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Baekhyun voices out, and it pains Chanyeol to see Baekhyun’s eyes with fear.

“Don’t worry, Baek,” Chanyeol says and puts his hand on top of Baekhyun’s hand resting on top of his arm, “I’m here, remember? We’ll do this together. I’ll be the bait, you’ll be the  _warrior_. That’s the main plan, right?”

Baekhyun doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want Chanyeol to be the first to face all the dangers. It’s  _his_ fight, not Chanyeol. He wants to say that. The main plan for Baekhyun was to keep Chanyeol safe, away from the darkness, away from the mess he made.

“Hey, Baek, can I ask something? Not anything about Laboratory or the Upside Down… just something I was curious about,” Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun nods, “What was my sister’s power?”

Baekhyun was shocked with the question, but answers the question nonetheless, “I… I do not know what it is called. But I heard from the lab that it was p-psycho— I do not know. I’m sorry.”

 _Psycho…_ Chanyeol is sure he heard something about those. Some articles he stumbled upon when he was looking for different papers, “Psychokinesis?”

“I think that’s it?” Baekhyun says, unsure.  

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“She can kill, Chanyeol. Even that monster,” he says and Chanyeol was surprised. If that’s the case… then why? “But the monster was a lot smarter, and somehow when Three was inside the Unknown, she was not able to protect herself. And I didn’t do anything to save her.”

“I know you wanted to try, Baek. It hurts to know that I can’t spend my time with her anymore. The only thing we can do is to… give her death some justice by shutting down the root of all of this,” he says, determined. It was the main reason why he was doing this because he thinks that if he can’t save his sister, he’ll try to save  _others_ from experiencing the same fate.

Baekhyun looks resigned, tired, as he looks at Chanyeol with his droopy eyes. He can’t help it anymore. He lets go of Baekhyun’s hand and places his arm around Baekhyun, hugging him, moving up to place his chin on top of Baekhyun’s head. Baekhyun doesn’t try to move away. What he does is bury his face on Chanyeol’s chest, basking in the warmth Chanyeol radiates effortlessly. Chanyeol rubs small circles on Chanyeol’s back and whispers, “Don’t worry, Baek. We’ll get through this.”

Baekhyun couldn’t prevent a tear from falling when he hears those words.  

_That’s what he said. And look where it got them._

Baekhyun wakes up, alarmed.

He hears hurried footsteps, and a siren from outside. It was dark, no light from their lamp that they have left open.  _Something is wrong._

“Yeol, wake up!” he says, shaking Chanyeol’s arm. Chanyeol grunts, cursing under his breath, “ _Fuck!_ Wake up!”

“W-what…?” Chanyeol asks, confused. He opens his eyes, and he couldn’t see anything in the dark. He could hear noise from outside, and it was getting nearer.

The first thing he thought was the same things were happening again. The darkness, the monster, the soul sucking feeling. Chanyeol knows Baekhyun was thinking of the same thing.  

Chanyeol sits up, reaches for the lamp, and switches it on. It worked, and he sees Baekhyun up, glaring at something from the other side of the room. Chanyeol looks at it, and he sees Madman Heechul sitting on a wooden chair, a smirk visible on his lips, and when he sees Chanyeol, he laughs in a way that it could send shivers down to his spine.

“What do you want?” Baekhyun asks, his glare intense, and the tone of his voice was hard, warning the person he was talking to, but it seems to have failed because Madman Heechul only chuckles, amused.

“I thought you were smarter than this,  _Four,”_ he says, shaking his head, “You managed to run away from the laboratory, but you keep on putting yourself into trouble.”

Baekhyun continues glaring at him, but it doesn’t even affect Heechul. Chanyeol looks at the both of them, confused, and his attention was on the siren getting nearer as they converse. Heechul was obviously distracting Baekhyun from what was bound to happen, “Baek, wait—"

Heechul laughs, making Chanyeol stop with what he was about to say. He caught him. He knew that he was aware of what he’s trying to do.  

Heechul gives Baekhyun an icy look, “I wanted power,  _Baekhyun_ , but they didn’t give me one. Now that you’re here and I can give you to them, they’ll probably grant my wish.” Heechul says, laughing evilly, “I’ve waited for this for so long, I’m not letting go of my chances.”

Baekhyun’s fists were balled, his anger was rising and Chanyeol knows that any minute now, he’ll be acting up on it. Chanyeol holds Baekhyun’s fists, attempting to calm him down, but Baekhyun removes it away harshly, not giving Chanyeol a glance. He tries to reach for it again, but Baekhyun was already moving towards Heechul in a fast pace, and Chanyeol stands up, still trying to reach Baekhyun and stop him, “No, Baek—”

When Heechul laughs, Baekhyun stops in his tracks, his chest heaving up and down. Heechul gives them a maniac grin, “You better run now, you know? They’re here.”

And as if on cue, they hear the sound of door being forcefully opened. They look at its direction, hearing someone command the others to move. Baekhyun moves towards Chanyeol and holds him by his wrist, tight and full of strength, tugging him closer to him as they walk fast towards the door, stopping behind it. Chanyeol looks to his side, searching for anything that they could use as an escape, but there were no windows, no back doors. It was a  _trap_  and he didn’t pay attention to it. 

“There’s nowhere else to go. What are you going to try to do? It’s a dead end already,” they hear Madman Heechul say, and Chanyeol can’t help agreeing.

He looks at Baekhyun and sees him focused, holding on Chanyeol’s wrist tightly that he was sure he was going to bruise. There was no way they could escape. The only thing they could do was surrender, but it seems that Baekhyun had other tricks up his sleeve, “Baek—”

Baekhyun opens the door, revealing them, and he sees every man in the room turn their head towards their direction, and Chanyeol pales. Baekhyun walks slowly, meeting the ones who were walking slowly towards them. The people in the laboratory were holding their gun up, all of them were unfamiliar to Chanyeol, and he couldn’t point out who they were, making it unable for him to try and save it to his mind.

Chanyeol’s sure they can be seen, that they are trying to approach Baekhyun in a slow way because they know what he was capable of and they’re,  _probably_ , afraid of it.  

Baekhyun walks out, his hand moves from his wrist to clasping their hands together, walking. They were already near those people, and Chanyeol’s heart pounds louder and louder at every step that they do. Meanwhile, Baekhyun seems to be walking with ease— confident and composed. It felt like everything was in slow motion, and that he’s slowly approaching his death.  

What comes next  _terrifies_ Chanyeol because one moment, they were face to face with a man, and suddenly, Baekhyun evades them, bringing Chanyeol along with him, and the man doesn’t notice them. He doesn’t even dare to look back. As if they didn’t exist.  _How the fuck?_  

“Where are they!?” someone asks, and Chanyeol sees Baekhyun smirk, his focused on the door. They were close to the front door now, and a few more steps towards it, they’ll be out as if nothing happened.

Chanyeol gets surprised when he is suddenly pushed aside and was met with an angry looking Heechul, glaring at Baekhyun, “You are  _not_ getting away!” he says, holding tightly onto Baekhyun’s arm.  

It breaks Baekhyun’s focus, and his eyes widen with the hand on his harm. He looks back and sees that everyone has turned their gaze on them, and someone was quick enough to shoot to the door, and that’s when he breaks away from the tight grip, and pulls Chanyeol along with him, opening the door, and the man he was holding almost trips, but he was quick to catch himself. Baekhyun doesn’t let go of Chanyeol’s hand even if they were hearing continuous gunshots directed at them. They always miss it.

Chanyeol looks back and sees that there were people running behind them. One was going straight into their car to be able to catch up to them. That’s when he remembers that he brought his car with him, “Baek, my car—“

“No time!” Baekhyun replies, running past his own car, dragging Chanyeol along with him.

Chanyeol feels lost. Everything was happening too fast.  _Literally._ They were running, and running, and he doesn’t know where they’re going. Only the lights were guiding their paths, and it’s as if they were  _nowhere_ in Hawkins. He doesn’t even feel his legs tire out despite going in his fastest speed. All that was important was  _to run._ Away from the people of the laboratory.  

The car glides past them, and that’s when Baekhyun slows down with his running, breathing heavily, but his hand remains on Chanyeol’s hand, and neither of them try to let go.  

When Chanyeol had successfully catch his breath, that’s when he feels his legs giving out, and he almost lets go of Baekhyun’s hand when another gunshot was heard from afar, making him press himself to Baekhyun’s side. Baekhyun grunts, “Do not distract me, Chanyeol.”

“What?” he asks, breathless. Baekhyun only shook his head and gives Chanyeol’s hand a squeeze. Chanyeol takes this as his opportunity to ask Baekhyun, “They… they can’t see us, right?” Baekhyun shook his head and walks slowly, “But how?”

Baekhyun merely shrugs and keeps his attention on the road, concentrated.

This shouldn’t be anything new to Chanyeol. He was a  _cop,_ for Christ’s sake! The sight of guns and the noise produced by it shouldn’t have frightened him the way it did so. But maybe his training wasn’t enough. The years with no crime in the city had made him rusty, he reasons to himself.  

All of his weapons were on the car, and the handgun he had brought was on his belt that he had removed when they were in Madman Heechul’s place. He really shouldn’t have let his guard down. This was his fault. He could’ve protected Baekhyun and manage to escape.

“Where are we going?” Chanyeol asks.

“Home,” Baekhyun answers, not sparing him another glance, making a turn in the road as if he had it all memorized.

“We can’t,” Chanyeol says, realizing that the last thing that they would want to do would be going to his place. They  _know_ Baekhyun was with him, “They’ll know that we’ll go there. We have to go somewhere that they won’t suspect. And a place that has everything that we would need.”

“Then where?” Baekhyun asks, tired.

Chanyeol doesn’t really know. They can’t go to any motel here, since they would’ve to go out at some point to look for everything that they need. They can’t go to any of the shops to buy weapons because there weren’t anything open at this time of the night. Not the station, too. It wasn’t safe yet. In a morning it would be but not at this time.  

Chanyeol doesn’t know where else to go besides his cabin, the station, or their own house. He doesn’t exactly have any other place to go to, no friends that he particularly knows where they live, except Jongdae.

 _Oh._ He could be one. He doesn’t know whether he’s someone he can trust. He doesn’t want to risk anything, especially not after what happened with him giving the benefit of doubt to Madman Heechul. But Jongdae kept on telling him that he won’t rat him out, and he was one of the persons that knew who Baekhyun truly was. He didn’t report them, but he reported to  _him_ when he knew something about Baekhyun and anything related to him.

They could still hear screams from afar, urging them to look for them. He was still feeling nervous

“How about Jongdae? I know where he lives,” Chanyeol suggests. Baekhyun doesn’t reply, “I mean, I know  _I_ was wrong with Madman Heechul but I know Jongdae wouldn’t report us. He knew about you but he kept his mouth shut. Plus he has the weapons that would help us. We’ll just explain everything to him.”

Baekhyun stops walking and looks at Chanyeol, his eyes looking at his as if he’s trying to find an answer from it. When he sees what he was look for, he nods and moves beside Chanyeol.  

Just like that, they were running again. And this time, it was Chanyeol leading the way.

 

 

Jongdae wakes up at his door being pounded. He groans and forces himself to get up, muttering curses under his breath along the lines of  _who is this son of a bitch,_ and  _fuck everyone who thinks waking up at the middle of the night is fun._  

Honestly, only complaints were running inside his head. He doesn't even dare to try and check first who it was because the moment he opens the door, someone walks past him, and slams the door even if Jongdae was still holding it, and it ended up with his head almost meeting the door. It became a blur to him after that. Jongdae blinks rapidly and then he sees Chanyeol falling down on the floor, face first. He was holding Baekhyun's hand whom he had fallen down with, but the only thing different was he was facing to his side and his face was scrunched in pain.

Jongdae wasn't sure whether it was all a dream of his, so he rubs his eyes, trying to see things clearly. He looks at their direction, and they were still there. He pinches himself, and he yelps.  _Still there._ Why were they here? It was weird for them to show up at this time of the night. Not to mention, they seem worn out and tired as if they had been  _running_. "Are you drunk? Did you do a crime? Whether I'd prepare a warrant or not would depend on whatever reason you'll say."

He doesn't receive a reply, and Jongdae wonders what happened to them. The both of them look like roadkill, and he thinks that they were like that was because they've been running for a long time and their legs have given up on them. Except Baekhyun who seems like he was dragged down by Chanyeol and preferred to just stay in that position because their hands were still intertwined. He sees Baekhyun wiggling his fingers out, but Chanyeol doesn't let him and grips it tightly, not wanting to let go. Jongdae eyes the action and takes note of it  _for future purposes._

It seems like it has been an eternity standing near his door, looking at the both of them. He was just about to ask what happened, when Chanyeol lets go of Baekhyun's hand, rolls, and faces the ceiling. His gaze looked so far away, as if he doesn't know where he was. It takes him a minute to process everything before sitting up, looking at his surroundings. He looks at Baekhyun unbelievingly, "We arrived alive?"

Baekhyun remains lying on his floor, his eyes almost closing, but still trying to look at Chanyeol, "Ye—“

Jongdae gets surprised when Baekhyun suddenly stops talking and fully closes his eyes, not bothering to finish his answer. Chanyeol was quick enough to move to him, sits him up, and places his arm around his shoulder, lifting him. Jongdae helps on bringing him to his couch to let him lie down properly. He huffs, "What the fuck happened?"

"He's just tired," Chanyeol replies and places Baekhyun on the couch carefully. "Probably from using his power too much." he explains, playing with Baekhyun's hair as if it could help in lulling him to sleep. He stays doing that, looking at him with a small smile on his face.

"What? Why would he even use it at... 4 AM?" Jongdae asks incredulously. He doesn't forget to take note of another smitten act Chanyeol had done. They are a thing, Jongdae's sure of it.

Chanyeol breaks his gaze on Baekhyun and decides to look at Jongdae, "The laboratory— wait. Do you have water? I need one."

"Yeah, in my kitchen," Jongdae answers, pointing at the direction of his kitchen.

Chanyeol stands up, and he feels his feet wobble, but he doesn't stop, "Right. Let's talk there," he says, making his way to the kitchen. He glances at the door, and sees that it was unlocked, "Lock the door, too. Double, triple, quadruple lock, I don't care as long as it's locked. It's a good thing your curtains are closed, too."

Confused, Jongdae still follows and locks his door. He follows Chanyeol in his kitchen, and he already sees him sitting down, stretching his legs, a glass of water already on top of his table.

"So, have you guys fucked yet?" Jongdae teases as he sits on a chair.

Chanyeol glares at him, "No, you asshole!"

"But you want to?" Jongdae asks, wiggling his brows.

"That's not the point of this conversation," Chanyeol replies, averting his gaze to somewhere else, "It's not part of my plans."

"Oh, so if you could, you would make it a part of it?"

"Shut the fuck up. I won't do that to him. It would only make him uncomfortable." Chanyeol hisses, not liking the thought of Baekhyun being uncomfortable with him.

"Is it  _him_  who would be uncomfortable or is it  _you?_ Because there's something different now?" Jongdae asks, and internally laughs when Chanyeol glares at him, "Well, I mean... do you at least like him?"

Chanyeol pauses when he hears the question and looks away. Does he? Sure, he feels different when he's with Baekhyun. Chanyeol remembers whenever they hold hands, he would feel a spark as soon as their skins meet. He feels happy when Baekhyun's just there, looking at him, waiting for him, or smiling at him. But does he like him, as in  _like?_ Like in a way that would exceed the boundaries of a friend should have? He doesn't think so.

"I don't," he replies.  

"Really?" Jongdae asks with disbelief. He sees Chanyeol's ears reddening, and he smirks, knowing that Chanyeol was probably trying to deny everything. Too bad he failed.

"I really don't," Chanyeol says, his tone final and uninterested, or at least that's what he thinks had come out.

"Not believing, but okay. If you say so." Jongdae says, remembering how they barged into his house, hand in hand, with Chanyeol not wanting to let go. It was as if his hands were glued to his, and it was hard to separate them.

"I really don't. Besides, why are we even talking about this? It's not important," he says, trying to change the topic. Jongdae knows what he's doing though, but he doesn't press on the topic any further.

"Care to explain why you suddenly barged in my house and even had the audacity to slam my door?" Jongdae asks, tapping his fingers on his table.

"The people of the laboratory knows Baekhyun's with me," Chanyeol reveals. Jongdae looks at him, surprised, "I saw the pictures you asked Baekhyun to forward to me, the one from Madman Heechul?"

"Yeah, well, not exactly  _from_ him. I kinda just—“

"Snatched it from him? That's just wrong in our books, Jongdae," Chanyeol says, shaking his head, smirking.

"How do you even know that!? I never said it to anyone!" he exclaims, suddenly getting defensive.

Chanyeol's face turns serious, "We went to Madman Heechul."

" _What!?_ " Jongdae says, flabbergasted.

"It was my initial plan. At first, I wasn't sure of it but when I saw the picture, I was sure that we had to go there to ask him questions about the Hawkins National Laboratory. We got what we wanted, and it was unbelievable how easy it was. From there, it should have been a warning for me but I didn't pay attention to it," he explains, recalling everything that happened, "He said he was against the them. Tried to convince us to stay. He kept on asking Baekhyun questions and it was so obvious what he was trying to do but I decided to keep on trusting him."

"What did the madman do?" Jongdae asks, his gaze on the table, intense.

"He called the laboratory," he says, and Jongdae looks at him, his brows furrowed,  

I think it was there where it started to get all messy. He kept on laughing, saying weird shit about how he wanted power too. He was trying to distract Baekhyun for him not to run away until the men of the laboratory arrive—“

"He's called  _madman_ for a reason, Chanyeol," Jongdae says, his tone sarcastic as if he can't believe Chanyeol didn't even realize that.

"I thought it was some stupid nickname kids give when the person in front of them was too smart!" Chanyeol defends himself, "From there, we had to run away from all of those people. They couldn't see us, but we didn't want to take any risk because they were near us and they kept firing their guns. We ran all the way from that madman’s house to here.”

“How come they didn’t see you?” Jongdae asks, confused. Anyone running could be seen, so it was impossible for them not to get caught.

“Baekhyun. He somehow made us  _invisible,_ and that’s what kept us protected. I think he used too much of his energy, that’s why he’s passed out.”

“You’re so fucking stupid for even believing he won’t rat on you,” Jongdae says, shaking his head.

“We won’t be able to get answers if I don’t. It’s a mistake, and I’m aware of it, but I got what I wanted and we’ll do our best to go on with our plans.” Chanyeol says, determined.

Jongdae sits there in silence, trying to process everything that Chanyeol had just said. Chanyeol was thinking of how to go about all of it. Surely, he’ll be needing more than one person to make everything work and he needs to approach someone who was more than capable of combat, someone whom Chanyeol knows he said he could trust—  _Chief Kim._

“So, what’s your plan?” Jongdae asks, breaking the silence.

Chanyeol looks at him and around the house, “I’ll be needing weapons. The ones that I have were in my car and we left it at Madman Heechul’s and I’m certain I won’t be able to have it back.”

“Okay, I have those,” Jongdae says, nodding, “What else?”

“Do you know what time the Chief would be at the station?” Chanyeol asks, and Jongdae looks at him, confused, not seeing the point of having to report to the Chief what he plans to do.

“What for?”

“I have to meet him. I’m sure he’ll be able to help us. He said so himself,” he says, nodding as he remembers that time Chief Kim talked to him, “He said that I should tell him if I knew anything about my sister’s death, and this was it. He’d help me. He said I could trust him.”

“You know, when people say that you could trust them, it doesn’t mean that you should—“

“So, are you saying that I can’t trust you then?” Chanyeol asks, annoyed at how Jongdae thinks that he shouldn’t ask their Chief, the person that has been fighting since 1982, for help? It was stupid.  

“Chanyeol, is that a serious question? You know I would’ve reported you the first time I knew you kept Baekhyun around! You’ve broken thousands of laws already, but do you see me reporting you for arrest?” Jongdae points out, feeling betrayed that Chanyeol had doubted him, “I’m just saying that you should think more of who to trust. Jesus, your heart is too soft and gullible. Besides, shouldn’t you ask Baekhyun about this?”

Chanyeol ignores the insult directed to him and answers the question, “He doesn’t have to worry about this. I think he’s had enough of me showing him to people that I think I could trust.”

“Still, I think you should tell this to him—“

“Look, Jongdae, I need you to cooperate with me, and believe me on this. Now, tell me what time will the Chief be at the station so that I could talk to him.”

Jongdae sighs, “I think he mentioned yesterday that he’ll be there in the afternoon to get some of his paperworks.

“Good, then that’s the time I’ll be going there—“

“—Yeol?” a hushed voice catches their attention, making it look to where it came from. It was Baekhyun, rubbing his eyes, trying to adjust to the light in the kitchen, “Dark. Cold.”

“Yeah, I’ll go there,” Chanyeol says, standing up from his seat. Jongdae looks at him and raises a brow.

Chanyeol glares at Jongdae, knowing what Jongdae was trying to point out. He shook his head before moving towards Baekhyun. He doesn’t forget to mouth Jongdae the words  _zip it_.

Jongdae nods and zips his mouth, promising to not say anything despite wanting to. Jongdae sees Baekhyun looking at him, rooted in his place despite Chanyeol tugging his arm, urging him to get out of the kitchen. Jongdae just smiles awkwardly and waves at Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s frown deepens at the act, and he looks at Chanyeol who had his eyes on him, curious.

Somehow, with the looks that they have given him, he feels uneasy. He doesn’t have a good feeling about it.

Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol and sees him still staring at him, his lips forming a small smile, calming the uneasy feeling he was having.  

Just like that, Baekhyun thinks all is well.

 

 

“You’re not sleeping?” Chanyeol asks, lying on the bed, facing Baekhyun who was sitting by the window gazing at the almost rising sun.

The view here in Jongdae’s spare room was something he appreciates and envy. Not all the places in Hawkins have a good view of the sunrise and the sunset, but Jongdae has one. It’s calming and breathtaking even if it’s not the first time he had seen it.

Baekhyun shook his head, his gaze still at the view. He wasn’t smiling or anything, but his eyes were twinkling as it stares at it with utmost appreciation. In moments like these, when Baekhyun was calm and quiet, when his insides are swelling with adoration and hopefulness, Chanyeol thinks he’ll keep it in a box and treasure it to his memories.

He guesses it’s because when Baekhyun was like that, looking outside and content with being on the background, does he completely see how Baekhyun shines and stands out despite it. Maybe it was because he looked so serene that Chanyeol couldn't bring himself to look away, or maybe it's how he shines in his own way, standing out, and gaining everyone's attention—  _his_ attention. Just like that time he was looking at the people outside. His eyes were focused on it, hoping,  _yearning_ , to do same things that would most likely make him happy.

It’s how Baekhyun tends to appreciate the smallest things in life, just like how he values peanut butter, and the silver bracelet that brings beauty on his skin.  

It’s the wrong time to think of any of these things, but when presented with an undeniable beauty and a radiating light, it’s hard not to.  

Chanyeol thinks it’s funny how Baekhyun could make him feel calm in one second, and a mess in another, or maybe both at the same time. He didn’t think it was possible, but then came Baekhyun and flipped his life upside down, changing almost everything that he thought he had known. He was the calm  _and_ the storm that Chanyeol had let into his comfort.

Despite all the running they did and all the escaping that comes with it, Chanyeol doesn't feel tired as he continues to stare at Baekhyun, the rays of sunlight hitting his face, making him glow, emphasizing its beauty, and Chanyeol thinks if Baekhyun would rival the sun, it would've go down on its knees and accept defeat.  

_You put the sun to shame, Baekhyun. Heck, he could compete with the moon, the stars, or the whole universe, and Baekhyun would still win the battle._

Chanyeol stands up, makes his way towards Baekhyun, his eyes never leaving his face. Baekhyun feels a movement from his side, so he looks at the person and he sees Chanyeol with a faraway gaze. Baekhyun frowns,  _Is he okay?_

Baekhyun makes space when Chanyeol was on his side. It wasn't spacious, but it was enough for Chanyeol to be able to sit down and see the view. He sits there, looking at the rising sun that was too breathtaking for him, something that he thinks was unreal. He missed this. This was the view that he was looking for the moment he stepped outside of Hawkins, and now that it was here, it seems surreal. He allows himself to enjoy this moment, because who knows? Maybe in a few minutes, in a few hours, or in a few days, he won't get to see the daylight again.

It saddens him, but if it's his fate then who was he to evade it? He could only run so much, and as much as he wants to continue running away, it would be impossible to beat the inevitable.  

It's a shame, Baekhyun thinks. He was already having fun. He had managed to see the entire Hawkins, see this beautiful view, and most importantly, he had gained a friend, and he was really thankful for him because without him, he's certain that he had reached his end.  

 _Chanyeol._ He was the one whom he had thought shouldn't be trusted, someone that he thought would only bring him harm, yet here he was, sitting beside him, accompanying him and helping him in the mess that he had created, breaking all the rules for the sake of having to seek justice for his sister, and probably to help him too.

He wishes he had the same courage as him, that he had the same determination. Baekhyun looks at the  _Fearless_ bracelet hanging heavily on his wrist. He thinks Chanyeol deserves it more. He was the epitome of  _Fearless,_ and it would be an insult for him if Baekhyun took credit. His heart swells with adoration and gratefulness at the man beside him.

He looks at Chanyeol and catches him staring at him, dazed and enthralled, as if he was the breathtaking view. He doesn't know that that's  _exactly_ what Chanyeol was thinking about as he quietly traces the faint marks on his skin, thinking of it as a mark of his braveness. He doesn't know how much he admires the way his silver hair complements his skin, and how it makes him perfect the way he is.

Baekhyun looks away, his cheeks red seeing how intense remains unfazed despite being caught in the act.  

He looks at his bracelet and removes it from his wrist. He doesn’t deserve it, nor will he ever deserve it. He looks at the man who gave it to him and reaches for his hand, placing the bracelet on his. Chanyeol looks at him, surprised and confused, “What—“

Baekhyun only shook his head, and looks at Chanyeol’s warm, brown eyes.  _You deserve it so much more than I do._

Chanyeol, curious and confused, couldn’t help staring back, feeling breathless again because Baekhyun was looking at him again like  _that._ He looks away, letting out a nervous chuckle, “Don’t look at me like  _that._ ”

“Like what?”

 _Like you want me to surrender. Like you want me to fall in your trap. Like you want me to be captivated by you. Like you want me to fall in love with you just with one look. Because it makes me want to, because how can I resist when it’s you? You make me want to kiss you, but I can’t because you’re_ you _, I’m_ me _and how can we ever be? You’re as unreachable as any star could be._

He’s thinking nonsense. He really is. But his mind goes back to that time Jongdae asked whether he likes Baekhyun or not.

 _I don’t,_ he said. Because he doesn’t. He can’t think of himself liking the man that had made his mind haywire.

Baekhyun abandons looking at the view and focuses more on Chanyeol, his gaze intent and it makes him want to melt. Then he smiles, his eyes forming crescents, and Chanyeol feels like he couldn’t breathe. Chanyeol thinks this is enough for him to keep him sane, that this is something that he’ll picture whenever he closes his eyes after having a good or bad day.  

“I’ve always seen you as my guiding light,” he blurts out, surprising Baekhyun. He thought he’ll be weirded out with what he said, but then he smiles, and it seems like everything had shut down in his mind.

 _I really don’t,_ he said, but how come he catches himself getting lost whenever he was with Baekhyun, but somehow when Baekhyun leads the way, he thinks he has found himself and all is well as long as he’s with him.

He thinks this reality was a curse, that somewhere, maybe in a different world, there’s a different Baekhyun and Chanyeol that exists. It can be that they have started in the right moment, that they have met in the right time. They could’ve fallen in love, lived a life far different from this. Yet even if the one that he was in is a curse, he can’t help thinking that this was the best that they could have, that amidst it all, there’s still beauty in the hell that they have been given, because there’s a Baekhyun whom had given them the light, the beauty, that it normally doesn’t possess.

 _Do I really not?_ he asks himself as he continues to look at Baekhyun for the longest time that he had. Baekhyun was saying something, but Chanyeol couldn’t hear it, lost in his own thoughts.

He finds himself staring at those thin lips, and he wonders what it’s like to have it on his. Not just once, but probably a hundred or more times.  

Baekhyun parts his lips to say something, to ask him if there’s a problem, but before he registers it, Chanyeol had already captured his lips onto his, giving him a chaste yet sweet kiss. It had caught Baekhyun off guard, and he could already feel his heartbeat quicken as if it wants to run out of his chest. It was just as fast what he feels whenever he’s on the run, but this time, it’s not the running that’s making it beat.

It was _Chanyeol_ who was making his heart race, and as overwhelming as it was, he feels himself liking it, like it was the first time that he had ever received it. Or maybe it really was his first. He doesn’t know nor will he ever know.

Chanyeol doesn’t know what was going on in Baekhyun’s mind. He was just looking at him with wide eyes, speechless, his lips parted and Chanyeol finds himself staring at it again. He doesn’t know why he did it, but it was just  _there_ and he had been feeling himself getting overwhelmed at the thought of never being able to kiss him, and maybe the possibility of it happening had made him act on it. He didn’t want to let go of this chance, because what if he’ll never be able to do it?  

 _I like you,_  he admits to himself.  _I really like you. Do you like me too?_  He wants to ask it, but he sees Baekhyun wanting to say something, probably to say whatever it was that was on his mind, “Yeol, I—“

Chanyeol doesn’t let him finish, and he places another kiss on his lips, and this time it was longer, letting himself relish to the warm feeling bubbling inside his chest. He closes his eyes, feeling Baekhyun’s lips on his.  _One last time,_ he says to himself.  _One last time and I’ll let the feeling go._

Except when he’s about to let go, Baekhyun kisses him back, and Chanyeol couldn’t help pressing further, biting his lip. Baekhyun gasps, and Chanyeol takes it as an opportunity to slide his tongue into his mouth. Baekhyun moans, liking the way Chanyeol kisses him, like he had been longing for it for a long time. He lets go for a second to catch his breath, and not even long, Chanyeol had his lips back on his and it makes him sigh in relief, not wanting to let go.

Chanyeol thinks Baekhyun was in an uncomfortable position. Letting go, he lifts Baekhyun up and places him on his lap before capturing his lips again onto his, not missing any second before he lets himself drown into the kiss.  

They could go on like this, and Chanyeol thinks no problem could ever break them down. No monster that could tear them apart as long as they’re together.

However, things don’t go exactly the way they want to because suddenly someone knocks loudly on their door, making Chanyeol reluctantly let go, making Baekhyun whimper at the loss. When Chanyeol hears it, he had almost kissed him again, but another knock makes him groan. The knock was followed by a shout, “Breakfast’s ready, you fucks!”

Of course, Jongdae would do that.  

Baekhyun had seemed to realize what happened and immediately blushes, scampering away. Chanyeol was quick enough to hold him by his wrist, stopping him on his tracks. He needs to know something, and he needs an answer  _now._

Baekhyun looks at him, his eyes wide, cheeks red and his lips swollen. Chanyeol smiles at the sight and puts the image into his mind, not wanting to forget it.

“Baek,” he says, his voice lower than the usual, sending shivers to Baekhyun. Chanyeol breathes heavily, his eyes locking with Baekhyun as he confidently asks, “If all goes well with this mission, will you date me?”

If Baekhyun’s face was red a while ago, it was a lot redder now, and he looks like he’s about to explode. Chanyeol laughs at that, making the red on Baekhyun’s cheeks get deeper. He removes Chanyeol’s hand on his, turning his back, only after whisper a quick  _yes,_  too quiet that Chanyeol almost didn’t hear it. Baekhyun scampers away, opening the door in a haste, leaving it open.

It’s a good thing that he heard it, and he can’t help grinning like a kid who had received the acceptance of his first love. It felt like it, because he thinks he has never felt this way before.  

Only for Baekhyun.

Someone clears his throat. He looks at the direction of it and he sees Jongdae wiggling his eyebrows before making kissy kissy actions, teasing him. Chanyeol rolls his eyes, stands up, and pushes him outside.

“So, you don’t like him, huh?” Jongdae teases.

“Shut up,” he says, his ears reddening when he thinks about how he likes Baekhyun.  

Baekhyun suddenly appears into their view, smiling excitedly as he gives Chanyeol a piece of the waffle, “Peanut butter!” he says before giving Jongdae a quick hug, whispering a soft  _thank you._ He goes back to the kitchen, happily skipping on his steps.

Jongdae looks at Chanyeol, confused. Chanyeol takes a bite of the waffle and understands why Baekhyun was happy. He swallows it before turning to Jongdae, and says, “He likes peanut butter. And this is a peanut butter waffle so it tastes a lot better.”

Jongdae laughs, “Man, you have to step up your game before he falls in love with me because I can make better food than you.”

Chanyeol doesn’t like the idea of it, so he can’t help glaring at the man beside him, “Shut the fuck up.”

“No need to be jealous. I mean, not that I’m bragging, but I can really make more of those and bribe him,” he says, and Chanyeol thinks of how fast Baekhyun had given Jongdae a hug just because he did a peanut butter waffle. Even  _he_ did not get one when he had bought him jars of it!

Needless to say, Chanyeol walks away and storms to the kitchen, opening his cabinets to look for something that would make him a better cook, leaving a laughing Jongdae behind.

 

 

 

When they were done eating, with Baekhyun getting the most of the food, Chanyeol initiates to clean up everything that they used. Jongdae gladly agrees, but Baekhyun looks like he wants to help, but Jongdae was quick enough to stop him, wanting Chanyeol to suffer on his own.

So here was Baekhyun, sitting beside Jongdae who was watching a cliché drama on his television. It was a romance, judging by the way the characters have been exchanging lines that seemed to have a soulful impact to its viewers. Jongdae snorts, mimicking the character,  _“Oh, loving you is the best that I have ever experienced—_ Pfft. More like it’s the  _worst_ that she experienced. Seriously, do you know how this ended? It ended with the guy having another girl!” he says to Baekhyun, shaking his head bitterly, “Love is dead with the both of them. Good thing it isn’t with yours.”

Baekhyun blushes at the remark, and Jongdae just laughs, enjoying how he could talk to Baekhyun without him being controlled.

They continue watching the drama, and the next scene had made Baekhyun blush even more. The actors were kissing torridly, and it makes his cheeks turn to crimson, remembering his liplocking with Chanyeol. He couldn’t help watch the scene intently, looking at how heated their kiss was.  _Were they kissing like that?_   

Jongdae takes this as another opportunity to tease the person beside him. He looks at Baekhyun and says, “You know, Chanyeol’s a good kisser.”

Baekhyun looks at Jongdae, his blush turning deeper. He doesn’t know that Jongdae knows what happened so he smirks when Baekhyun’s attention was on his, “There was this one time in the locker room where he was heavily making out with one of our classmates. It was intense, and everybody saw it.”

He didn’t think it was possible but Baekhyun had even blushed even more, looking away as he watches the next scene unfold. Jongdae, not wanting to end there, says, “There was also this one time—“

Baekhyun scampers, rushing to their room, slamming it close. Jongdae laughs before he looks at his television, and sees the character’s family bonding together. That’s what makes him remember that he had something to talk about to Baekhyun. He decides that it’s better to tell it to him once he’s out of their room.

Jongdae hears the faucet turned off, and a second later, Chanyeol was already out of the kitchen, frowning, “Where’s Baekhyun?”

Jongdae successfully prevents a laugh from coming out of his mouth. He shrugs innocently, “I think he said he wanted to sleep…”

“Oh,” Chanyeol says, looking at the room before shaking his head, thinking that Baekhyun had finally felt tired. He looks at Jongdae and remembers his plan for later, “Listen. I’m going to the station later to talk to the Chief.”

Suddenly serious, Jongdae asks, “You’re really going to do that? I mean, not that I’m doubting the Chief but don’t you think you should tell this to Baekhyun? He has the right to know.”

“I’ll tell it to him once I get Chief to agree with me. I don’t want Baekhyun to think about this,” he says, considering everything at hand. He looks at the wall clock and sees that it was about time for their work, but Jongdae wasn’t even prepared, “Are you not going to work today?”

“Nah. I asked Chief whether I’m allowed to have an off and he accepted it. Probably because not much was happening  _again._ Or at least that’s what he wants us to think. Other officers kept on going out too,” Jongdae explains, “What if Baekhyun asks for you? What will I tell him?”

“Tell him that I went to the market,” he replies, “Keep your device open, just in case things don’t go well.”

“Copy that,” Jongdae says, clicking his tongue.  

Chanyeol nods and makes his way to their room, wanting to take a glimpse of Baekhyun, thinking that he wasn’t asleep yet. He considers telling him that he’ll be going to the  _market,_ just to not make him worry.

However, all his thoughts of talking with Baekhyun goes down the drain when he sees Baekhyun sleeping peacefully on the bed, making puppy noises as he stirs on his sleep. Chanyeol finds himself smiling at how peaceful he looks like, lying on the bed as if he didn’t have any problems to face.

Well, Chanyeol’s about to face his own, and he  _hopes_ everything will go well.

 

 

 

By the time he had arrived the station, it was already noon, right on the dot. He decided to pass by the market just to make his excuse valid. So here he was, at the station, leaving his handful of groceries on Jongdae’s car. It’s a good thing that Jongdae was willing to lend it.

The station was isolated when he entered. It was weird for him since the last time he was here, the place always had someone inside, even if there’s nothing to do. Chanyeol remembers Jongdae telling him that everyone went out most of the time, so he thinks this is one of those hours.

Chanyeol thinks it’s also for the best. What he’s going to talk about with the Chief was something… confidential. Something others shouldn’t know of.

The Chief’s office was unlocked and unoccupied, so he welcomes himself inside and sits down on one of the Chief’s stool, waiting for him to arrive.  

Chanyeol considers everything that he chose to do. He admits that talking with the Chief may not work, but it’s best to try and be paired up with someone that knows well about fighting. And what they’re fighting is something not easy, something that holds a big part of the city’s trust. It would be hard for him to do this on his own, and he thinks this is the best that he could do.

He hears light footsteps coming from outside the of the room, and Chanyeol looks up, expecting Chief Kim to walk inside. He stands up when he sees the Chief enter his office quietly, a blank expression on his face, holding a faraway gaze. He bows and says, “Chief Kim, it’s good to see you after so long! How have you been?”

Chief Kim looks at him, bored, as he walks towards his table, placing his coffee on his table, mindlessly flipping through his papers as if he didn’t just hear what Chanyeol said.

Chanyeol clears his throat, “Chief—“

“What is it, Officer Park?” Chief Kim asks, not even making an effort to look up.

“I have discovered something about my sister,” he says straightforwardly, not wanting to waste any time. It seems to get Chief Kim’s attention, because now he stops flipping through his papers. Chanyeol sighs in relief,  “The Hawkins National Laboratory is behind it. They faked her death, and it wasn’t her body that’s in there. Chief, I’m asking for your help so that I could seek justice for her death. So that all of these controversies reach its stop.  _Please_ , Chief. I know a lot of things that the laboratory had done, and I’ve got evidences. I just need a bigger hand to help.”

“What do I get from this?”

“Anything, if I will be honest. Or recognition, sir. The respect of the people of Hawkins. A peaceful town. Don’t you want that? Don’t  _we_ want that?” Chanyeol says, determined.  

Chief Kim laughs, makes his way to the door, locks it. He stays there, still laughing and Chanyeol’s confused with the Chief’s actions. Chief Kim stays on the same place and says, “Do you think it’s  _that_  easy, Officer Park?”

Chanyeol gulps, nervous and kind of agitated as he hears the mockery in the Chief’s voice. He doesn’t let himself get swayed though, “I believe that if you’d be willing to help us, we would be able to put a stop to all of this—“

“ _Oh,_ Officer Park, do you really think this is just a walk in the park?” he asks, chuckling lowly before looking at Chanyeol, aiming at him. Chanyeol’s eyes widen, standing up, his brows furrowed as he looks at Chief Kim. He was smirking and Chanyeol felt  _betrayed_ , yet Chief Kim doesn’t pay any heed.  

Chief Kim chuckles, looking at Chanyeol with a deadly stare, almost as if he’s already planning everything on his head. Chanyeol is confused, “What—“

Aiming at him, Chief Kim smirks and says,  “I won’t let years of hard work be ruined by  _you._ ”

Chanyeol darts his eyes around the room, and back to Chief Kim, smirking at him, waiting for him to make a move.  

_There was no way out._

 

 

 

**_Hawkins National Laboratory, 1972_ **

 

_They said he'll have the best position in town if he agrees to let his son be their bait._

_It was wrong, for a father to even consider accepting it, but he was_ desperate.  _They were having the worst time of their life. They didn't have any food to eat most of the time, nor do they even have a decent home. Ever since his wife had left them, he had to strive harder than others, work until he passes out. It was getting hard for them live, but he didn't want to give it all up. He didn't want his son to never have the chance to enjoy his life._  

_That's why he accepted the Hawkins National Laboratory's offer, and his son did too, seeing that it was something that would help their city, just like what his Dad does in the station. He wants to be like his Dad— brave, undefeatable, and strong. He was his role model, and he'd do anything just to be as strong and respectable as him._

_"Officer Kim, please sign these documents as an agreement that you accept the terms and conditions," The head of the Hawkins National Laboratory, Kim Junmyeon, said, handing out a few forms._

_"Just Minseok is fine," he replies, reaching out for the forms. It was lengthy, and it had a lot of content that he'd had to read over. But it seems like the doctor was in a rush, tapping his foot impatiently. He just needs to know whether the experiment would be safe, and would not in any way harm his son, "Will my son be safe?"_

_Junmyeon plasters a small smile, "Of course, Minseok. I'll treat your son as if it's my own. I can assure you the safety of your child when he's in our care."_

_"And the position? The money?"_

_"It's all in the contract, Minseok. You'll have it, and you'll have your son back after a few more months of testing," Junmyeon explains, calm and persuading. Minseok nods, looks at his son who was just looking around the laboratory, and then back to the contract that sits heavy on his hand._  

 _Junmyeon taps his foot impatiently, biting his tongue to avoid any remark from coming out of his mouth._  

 _Finally, Minseok signs the papers and Junmyeon almost snatches it from him, almost wanting to celebrate upon having a test subject for some wave they've detected from the other side._  

 _The research team had done great this time. And if they prove to the public that they have managed to detect another world, it would give them the recognition he desires. He would be able to gain all the credit. This was his breakthrough, and he'd do_ everything  _to get it all right, even if he'll be breaking dozens of laws._

 _"_ Jongin-ah _, be a good boy, okay?" Minseok says and kisses his son's forehead. Jongin smiles widely at him, and Minseok almost backs out, fearing that he won't be able to see the same smile etched on his face. But he can't. He reminds himself that he's doing this for him, that he's doing everything just to make their life better, even without his mother. "I'll be back after a few months. Don't forget me, remember that."_

_Jongin nods enthusiastically, "Mm-hmm! You'll be back and we'll have a better house, right? Then I'll be able to have my own car, and I get to be like you! Right?"_

_Minseok looks at him affectionately, bending down to come face to face with Jongin. His son was young, only 8 years old, yet he seems like he has a lot of dreams that he'd want to achieve, not just for him but for the both of them. His heart swells with fatherly love. If someone would ask him whether he regrets taking his son into his care, he'll answer that he never ever regret it. Raising a son like him was enough to keep him going. He can't fathom the idea that he won't see him again._

_"That's right, Jongin. I'll be back before you know it," he says, cheering himself up._  

_"Alright, Jongin. Let's go." Junmyeon says, holding his hand gently, his eyes glinting with sincerity as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Jongin nods, following the doctor onto the room._

_But before he continues walking, he stops and looks back at his father, watching his retreating back. He waves at him frantically, smiling, and Minseok waves back, trying to prevent his tears from falling. Jongin drops his arms and returns from walking, and Minseok stays there, still waving his hand as he watches his son go. Jongin stops walking again, turning back, giving one last wave to his father, and Minseok couldn't help but laugh at the action, motioning him to just go._

_When he sees his son already inside, that's when he decides to go out of the laboratory with a heavy heart, not knowing that it would be the last time he'll see his son smiling like that at him._

_Because after 6 months of being away from him, what he sees was a different Jongin. No longer the 8-year-old boy he knew. He didn't acknowledge him when he had been there for his final testing, not even when had raised a bag full of cars. The only thing he received was a blank stare, as if he doesn't recognize him._  

 _"_ Patient ZERO,  _up for final testing," a voice said, and his son, Zero, nods, and enters the black wall. "Only 10 minutes will be given. After 10 minutes, termination activated."_

_"What?" Minseok asks, confused, "What do you mean by termination? What will happen?"_

_No one answers him, focused on Jongin's actions with the use of their tracker. Minseok was confused, but he tries to keep quiet as he stays behind the glass, waiting for his son to emerge from the black wall._

_He hears someone mumbling beside him, chanting, "You should've given me the power. I should be the one in there. You're going to kill the boy, you're going to kill the boy, you're going to kill the boy!"_

_Minseok was nervous,_ terrified,  _at what's happening. He hadn't seen his son for months, and he thought that he'd be glad once they have their reunion, not this. Never this. He'd go_ crazy  _if the guy talking was telling the truth. His son can't die. He was his only reason to live._

 _"Get Heechul out of this room, Kyungsoo," Junmyeon commands, his eyes not leaving the monitor, looking at each of movements the red dot does._  

_It was moving in an unreadable manner. One second it was in front, then another second, he was on the back, and then he's circling the place, sometimes stopping in one place. It was as if it could teleport from one place to another. Minseok was lost, because how come his son could move that fast, right? Unless there were other people inside that wall then it would've been understandable._

_"Are there any other people in that room?"_

_"No. It's only your son that's in there."_  

_He was going to ask for more information, but suddenly, it seems like something had went wrong with the monitor, and they see hundreds of dots on it. Everyone seemed puzzled, not knowing where it all came from._

_The alarms have went off, startling Minseok when everyone had panicked, "Patient Zero, undetectable!" they say. Minseok looks at them, confused and afraid._  

_What do they mean? What is happening?_

_"Patient Zero, missing! Unidentified!" another panicked voice said._

_Minseok looks at the monitor again and sees that there were still a hundred of dots. They can't give up. Anyone of those could be his son._  

 _He was willing to take risk, to go through that black wall, but someone stops him, holding him by his arm. He looks at the person, preparing to shout at him to let go, but the alarm suddenly stops, and it brings hope to him, thinking that it had gone out because his son was in a stable condition._  

 _Yet his arms fall limp on his sides when each of his hope fades away upon seeing_ nothing  _on the monitor. Not even a single dot._

_He could feel his life crumbling down, falling to the ground with no chance of building it back up._

_"Patient Zero, gone."_

 

  _••••_

 


	7. Light

**CHAPTER 7: Light**

 

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

 

"They said they would bring him back. That there is still hope. That if their beloved  _Four_ comes back, he'll be able to bring my son back to me." Chief Kim says, laughing humorlessly, his gun still pointing at him. "It's a good thing they gave me a heads up. That's why I managed to ask everyone to go away for a while."

"W-Who did?" he asks, subtly walking sideward, sighing quietly in relief when Chief Kim doesn't notice it.

Could it be Jongdae? God, he trusted the man, and he had a sudden urge to go back to his house and save Baekhyun from him.  

"You're stupid, Officer Park. I've deemed you to be a smart person, but you are stupid. A lot more stupid than your friend, Jongdae," he insults, "You didn't even know they put a chip,  _a camera,_  on your things.  _You_ lured them, made them have an idea where you were. Too bad you left your household. You're so fucking stupid for a cop, and it got me wondering why you're even part of the team, why you're in that position."

Chanyeol stops trying to move subtly, thinking of what the Chief had said. He knew that the laboratory had installed a camera in his place, but he didn't know there were a lot of it. He didn't even feel like he was being watched after the first encounter.

"You didn't even realize it before I told you, didn't you?" Chief Kim asks mockingly, "Not surprised since you're stupid. Don't worry though. I think they lost connection with you when you left the house and ran along that crazy fuck's house. Now that you're here with me, at least I got you cornered. Maybe if you've given that  _Four_ back to the laboratory then this won't be happening, and my son would be back, maybe your sister too. But you were  _stupid_ to keep him around. Even falling in love with him, am I right?"

Chanyeol doesn't answer, clenching his fists to his side, glaring at the man. He can't believe he's hearing those words from him. He wants to curse him, to talk back, but he tries to calm himself down, reminding himself that all of this was from his grief, from the anger that he's been bottling in. He's just on the receiving end of it.

"If you'd just stick to the laws of this town, maybe you're not in so much trouble as you are now," Chief Kim says, "Then I wouldn't be doing this to you."

"So? Why not do it?" Chanyeol asks, finding the courage to talk back, wanting to cover his fear with a mask of unfound bravery. "If you just stop talking then maybe you've had me at no time."

Chief Kim seems to falter for a bit, his arms lowering down, frowning, but then it was back up again. "Shut up."

Chanyeol doesn't, "Or maybe you're not just as strong as what you think you, or maybe it's because all of this is out of your control and the laboratory is just  _manipulating_ you to do all of this."

"Shut  _up,_ " he says, shooting, and it had made him cover his own head, almost getting hit. He had missed barely. "You think I won't do it? You think I'd hesitate? Huh, what an  _insult._  You're not someone important to me, but you're someone important to the  _them,_ and I'm just here to distract you from running away."

It makes sense. They knew where he was, and they wouldn't waste their time just to get their hands on Baekhyun.  

Even if he wanted to get away, he doesn’t know how to. He was panicking already, and it wasn’t helping with him trying to think things through.  

He should’ve believed Jongdae when he had been questioning his plans on having a talk with the Chief. If he listened, maybe he was just beside Baekhyun, planning every step that they’ll be doing to stop everything from happening.

The again, maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Because now he knows that he has been monitored all throughout, and now that it was disabled, he could say what he wants to say without having the fleeting thought of being heard.

He needs to get out of this room, to warn Jongdae that there’s a possibility that the people from the laboratory were on its way to his house. He has to get out of this room alive, so that he could go back to Baekhyun, give him safety, and finish this all side by side.

“I changed my mind,” Chief Kim says, glaring at him and dangerously moves closer to him, “Time to end your mission, Park Chanyeol. It’s mission failed for you.”  

“What—“

“You could’ve died an honorable man,  _Officer Park._ Too bad, a failure is all you got to be.”

 

 

Baekhyun wakes up, his heart racing as his mind replays the dream he had.

It was Chanyeol. Chanyeol was in trouble, and he couldn’t escape. Baekhyun was not with him, and Chanyeol was in the dark, alone, followed by a shadow that was impossible to evade. The dark had got into him, giving no chance for Baekhyun to protect him from it.  

He had failed again. Baekhyun was a failure that crushes everyone’s hopes and dreams, and it was a curse that he’ll never break, that  _no one_ could  _ever_ break.

In dreams and in realities, the dark has been an enemy of his. It had been the one thing that makes his life a nightmare, a living  _hell,_ that he can’t escape. And now he’s leading Chanyeol to it— Chanyeol who doesn’t even deserve to see the darkness of the world. He was a dreamer, a person with a strong mind, and it would be an insult if he’d be taken by the dark that only Baekhyun have caused.

His dream keeps on playing on his head, and it scares him to think that he won’t be there for Chanyeol when he needs him the most. He had failed once, twice, a hundreds of times, but is it wrong to think that deep down, he considers that it all happened in his dreams, as if it was a warning, and the one that he has to do was to prevent it from happening.

“Baekhyun? Are you okay?” Jongdae asks upon entering the room, a glass of water in his hand. “You were screaming and thrashing a while ago. I tried waking you up but it didn’t work so I got some water to… um, well, to splash it to your face, but now that you’re awake I guess you should drink this.”

Baekhyun accepts the water, silently thanking Jongdae.  

Baekhyun notices that it was quiet outside, like no one else was there except for him and Jongdae. “Where is Chanyeol?”

“He went to the market,” he lies smoothly, “He’s been gone for a few hours already, so I’m assuming that he’ll be back soon.”

Jongdae thought Baekhyun would understand calmly, but he suddenly pushes him to the ground and opens the door, looking for Chanyeol.

 _What? Chanyeol left? Without him? But what if… what if his dreams will come true? What if he was in trouble? He knows Chanyeol is capable of saving himself, but he_ can’t  _save himself from that monster._

“Baekhyun! Wait! Don’t go!” Jongdae says, holding him by his arm. "He'll be back!"

"You do not understand!" Baekhyun says, removing his arm from his hold. "Please. Let me go to him."

"I'm sure he'll be back soon, Baekhyun. He needed to talk to the Chief— oh fuck! I meant the market! He needed to go to the market!" Jongdae excuses, trying to save himself, but he knows it's too late now, because Baekhyun was looking at him like he couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth.

"The Chief?" Baekhyun asks, his eyes wide.  _No... that person was the last person he should've went to._  He has to go to him. Now. "I have to go."

"No! Look, you have to trust Chanyeol. He knows what he's doing."

"You do not understand!"

"Then make me understand!" Jongdae says, running his hand through his hair, annoyed. He's been lost since last night, and the least that he needs is a  _proper_ explanation, not an overview of everything that happened. He wants to know whether it was right to be skeptical to the Chief. "What is with the Chief that it made you alert?"

Baekhyun kept shaking his head, his breathing ragged as he tries to prevent himself from shaking too much with fear and worry. It took him a minute before he looks at Jongdae. His eyes were different. Gone were the fierce and manipulating eyes, and what he sees were desperate eyes beneath a resigned one, as if he doesn't know what to do anymore.

As if he wants to give up.

"Please, Jongdae. Let me go," Baekhyun pleads, "Chief. He is part of  _them._ "

"Them? Do you mean the laboratory?" Jongdae asks, getting ready for his line of  _I told you so_ , and he doesn't get disappointed when he sees Baekhyun nod, his head hanging low as he thinks of Chanyeol who had made a decision without even talking to him. "I knew it! I knew I was right to stop him."

Baekhyun doesn't understand what the man in front of him was so happy about. Still, he thinks Chanyeol was unfair for not telling this to him. He thought they were doing this  _together_ and it pains him to think Chanyeol had chosen to go face trouble by himself.  

And now he's back to blaming himself, because what if Chanyeol took the matter to his hands because he didn't want Baekhyun to think that he couldn't do it? He trusts Chanyeol, but if he gets into trouble, then how else will he back him up?

"Jongdae,  _please,_ " Baekhyun pleads, "You said you knew he shouldn't be trusted. Please. Let me go."

"I don't know, Baekhyun. My car is with him, and there's a possibility that we meet halfway. Plus, I can't let you go there alone. He'll kill me. Let's just wait—“

Someone suddenly pounds on the door, startling the both of them. It was insistent,  _urgent,_ as if the person behind it can't wait to enter the room and look for whatever it was that he needs. They have every right to suspect who it was, especially now that there was a possibility that the one behind it would only bring harm. Chanyeol wasn't with them, and he doesn't know how much Baekhyun could do with a fight.

The knock on his door stops for a while, and then it's back, and this time it has a pattern. Like a password.  _A code._

"Chanyeol." Baekhyun whispers beside him. "Chanyeol."

"What?"

"It's Chanyeol."

And as if on cue a loud, desperate voice comes along with a heavy pounding on his door, "Open the fucking door!"

Jongdae moves in an instant, cursing under his breath and opening his door widely. A disheveled Chanyeol comes into his view, and before he could ask what happened, someone pushes him to the side and hugs Chanyeol tightly, almost knocking out every air he has.

Chanyeol was taken aback with how Baekhyun had buried his face deep into his chest, as if he had been longing so much for him. He had momentarily forgotten why he was in a rush, opting to hug Baekhyun back tightly, letting out every worried feeling he had when he was at the station a while ago. Every worry that Baekhyun was already in the hands of those bastards.

He finds himself sighing in relief, basking in the warmth Baekhyun could give to him, easing each of his fears, turning it to a spark of hope and braveness he has been slowly losing.

Baekhyun breaks out from the hug, looks directly at Chanyeol's eyes, his eyes boring into his, and it feels like he's trying to say something to him. Chanyeol swears that with just one look at Baekhyun, he suddenly has the urge to kiss him right there and then. It was hard to resist.

Jongdae clears his throat, interrupting the moment. "Sorry to interrupt such a heartfelt reunion, but can you care to explain why you knocked on my door as if your life depended on it?"

"It does." Chanyeol answers, remembering how he had rushed out of the station, his hand tingling with pain after knocking out the Chief with the best that he could. He thinks, on the way here, he had exceeded the speed limit, thinking of all the possibilities that Baekhyun was already on the hands of the people in the laboratory.

"Listen. Baekhyun, we have to get out of here. They know you're here. And I'm sure any minute now they'll arrive and barge into this place the same way they did in Madman Heechul's. We can't risk that from happening." Chanyeol explains, holding Baekhyun by his hand when he sees him nod at him.  

"Wait, what happened at the station?"

"I've got no time to tell the story, but Chief Kim is part of—“

"Them. I know. _I told you so_." Jongdae finishes his sentence, smirking. "So, what happens now?"

"I don't know but we have to get out of here. You should, too. You somehow got involved, so I suggest you to go somewhere else."

"Well, where are you headed to, then?"

"Lux. It's the only place that I know is the nearest to where we plan on going to," he says, navigating his way around the house, looking for everything that they need.  

Baekhyun was waiting for Chanyeol warily. He knows he said to him that they do this together, that the only thing that he has to do was to get Chanyeol out of the place as soon as possible, but after having a dream like he had, he suddenly wants to back out. To keep Chanyeol safe, to keep him away from him. He can't risk it.

Chanyeol has a family that he can go back to. A stable job, a  _normal_ life. Something Baekhyun had taken away from him when he had suddenly barged into his life. It was selfish of him, and he knows he should've let Chanyeol do his own thing, but Chanyeol kept on sticking to him, determined and unmoved despite every obstacle that they've faced.  

Each of it gets harder and harder to the point that Baekhyun thinks he won't be able to save Chanyeol on his own way.

He has to do this on his own. No more lives taken away because of him. No more dreams crushed into powder and thrown into thin air. It's time for him to stop running away and face all of this.

_I'm sorry, Chanyeol._

While Chanyeol was busy rummaging each of his cabinet, Baekhyun tries to catch Jongdae's eyes. Jongdae looks at him, his brows furrowed, confused. He sees Baekhyun's sad eyes looking at him, lost, confused,  _desperate,_ and it's as if he was communicating with him with those pleading eyes.  

He zones out, lost in thoughts as Baekhyun tries to enter his mind. He finds himself nodding, and snapping out of his daze, looking at Baekhyun who had given him the most miserable look he had ever seen.

"Let's go," Chanyeol suddenly says, holding onto Baekhyun's hand tightly, squeezing it. "I owe you lots, Jongdae. Keep yourself safe."

Just like that, they go, bringing every burden on their shoulders along with them. Chanyeol knows that what he's signed up for could ruin everything that he had built these past few years. But he has long considered that. In his mind, the only important thing was to stop all of these, to seek justice for his sister's death, and to keep Baekhyun safe.

What he doesn't know is how Baekhyun is silently planning everything out. How he plans to save Chanyeol from his hellhole. It was hard to do so especially when the man had made him feel things he had longed for, feelings that he never knew he would be able to feel after nights of darkness.  

Baekhyun was running away again, but this time, it's not to save himself, but to save the man he had been liking as silently as possible.

Chanyeol starts the car, planning their course of action. Everything has to go without a hitch. If everything goes well in their plan, then they'll be able to walk freely onto the streets of Hawkins.

Chanyeol thinks he is a rebel of his own life, a prisoner caged into his own mistakes, but he's a prisoner guilty to his actions, willing to be trapped in his own cell. He can't stop now. Not when they're close to their goal.  

He knows it's wrong to break rules, but it's never too wrong if it's done to protect the city.

 

 

By the time they arrived to Lux, the sun was already setting, and the crickets were slowly making its noise in the quiet part of Hawkins.  

Lux wasn’t the best choice of a place to stay into. It was a shabby, old, building that had been built since the 70s. It never got any renovation that it deserves, its walls remained scratched, not given the money to have a chance to repaint it. Its walls had framed paintings in each corner, adding a particular vibe to the place. The place would’ve been better if they added more emphasis on its vintage-like atmosphere.

Nonetheless, Lux was still  _decent_ to stay into. And it was bright inside it, all generated properly so he doesn’t have to worry so much of having to deal with sudden power offs. Plus, it was near the place that they had to get into, so it’s a benefit for them.

One thing he likes about Lux is that they’re vocal about their hate for the same thing that they’re trying to escape— The Hawkins National Laboratory. It had him wondering before, and he had discovered that the owner of the said motel had a disagreement with the laboratory that’s why they are not in any way affiliated. Someone had tried to bribe their way in but it didn’t work, and only sparked another disagreement between the two companies.

At least that’s out of Chanyeol’s worries.

The receptionist was chewing his gum and was watching a rerun of a drama in his small television when they arrived, seemingly unamused and unfazed that someone had entered their motel. Chanyeol had to knock on its window before he even got his attention.

“‘Sup?” he asks, not tearing his gaze from the small screen.

“Uh, I’d like to have one room…” Chanyeol says nervously.

“Just one?” the man clarifies, and looks at them, raising an eyebrow, shamelessly turning his head to Baekhyun’s direction. Chanyeol nods, and he sees the man smirk at him. “Interesting.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The man just shrugs and throws him a key and a ticket then resumes on whatever it was that he was watching. Just before they leave, the man suddenly says, “Just wanna tell you that you’ll be safe here.”

“What?” Chanyeol asks, turning skeptical every minute that goes by. Maybe it’s a wrong choice for them to stay in this place.

“Hey,  _Four._ Long time no see,” he says, and Chanyeol suddenly tightens his hold on Baekhyun’s hand, as if it wasn’t even tight enough. What if what he read about Lux wasn’t true? That they only say that because they’re a spy working for them?  

To his surprise, Baekhyun nods in acknowledgement, “ _One_.”

“Lu’s fine,” he replies, glancing at the way their hands were clasped together, smirking. “Well, enjoy your stay here. Lux is the best place to hide from those bastards.”

“Thank you, Lu.” Baekhyun replies, bowing.

Chanyeol stood there, watching their exchange and it had him all confused. How come the man in front of them seems composed despite being called  _One,_ which he assumes also meant that he was from the laboratory.  

On the way up, the only thing Chanyeol could think about was the interaction that had just happened a while ago. Not that he minds or anything, but he was just curious how it happened, and why he wasn’t running away the way Baekhyun was.  

“Lucky one,” Baekhyun says, breaking the silence. Chanyeol looks at him, confused with what Baekhyun was talking about. “Lu. Lucky one.”

“What?”  

“He worked his way out,” Baekhyun explains, sensing the curiosity Chanyeol had been feeling. “He got out of the laboratory with a deal. They thought it will not work, but it did.”

“Oh…”

“It all started there,” Baekhyun says, his gaze faraway as he lets himself be led by Chanyeol. “My desire to free myself. It started there.”

“Did you also make a deal?”

“Yes, but I failed.” he answers, disappointed with myself. “The other ones failed too. They did not make it easy ever since One managed to trick them.”

“What’s his power?”

“Same with your sister’s.”

Before they know it, they were already in room  _614_. The room was okay for Chanyeol. Enough space for the both of them, warm enough to keep them tucked in at night. But the bed was still small, and they obviously need to stick together so that none of them would fall.

Chanyeol reluctantly lets go of Baekhyun’s hand, placing the bag of necessities on one side, his mind thinking of how he would be sleeping again next to Baekhyun. 

Not like he has any problem with that. It still makes him feel giddy and somehow excited, but his mind’s too occupied by now that he can’t make himself relish the feeling of being able to sleep by Baekhyun’s side again. That’s if they’ll be able to sleep their worries.

Baekhyun was just roaming around the room, tracing the rough paintings placed on one side of the wall. The room looks old yet comfortable to stay on. It gives off the vibe of peacefulness, something that would somehow calm you down when you’re here.

It was quiet for a while, only their footsteps could be heard against the tiled floor. Chanyeol chooses to sit on the bed, since there was no other place to sit on to besides this. He watches Baekhyun pace around quietly, sometimes stopping to stare at a painting, then he’s back on memorizing every corner of the room, as if he’s trying to remember it all to save it to his gallery of thoughts. Like it’s his last time to see all of these. Like he was saying goodbye to it.

He’s just thinking too much of his actions.  

“Hey,” Chanyeol says, breaking the silence. Baekhyun looks at him, waiting for him to say something else. “I’m sorry… that I kept an important thing from you.”

_I’m sorry too._

Baekhyun just nods and looks away, turning his back on Chanyeol, not knowing what else to say. Being alone with Chanyeol in one room makes him think of what they did back where they were at Jongdae’s. It makes him feel hot suddenly at the thought that it could’ve been deepened,  _escalated_ , if Jongdae didn’t interrupt them.  

“Jongin,” Chanyeol suddenly says, catching Baekhyun’s attention. “Chief Kim’s son is named Jongin.  _Zero._ ”

Baekhyun obviously tenses when he hears it.  _Zero._ The name that he’s been hearing back from those of the laboratory. He shrugged it all off, not knowing who it was, but then his task was to locate him. And he doesn’t even know who it was, nor does he recognize him despite the people there attempting to describe him. It was no use. He didn’t see anyone at that place. Nor did he try to. There was a big chance that the person was dead... unless…  _it can’t be._  

Why didn’t he realize it?

“Monster,” Baekhyun says, his eyes turning wide as he fixes his gaze below.

“Monster?”

“Zero. He is the one.”  

Baekhyun visibly tenses, and Chanyeol wants to ease his all his worries, to calm him down, so he hugs Baekhyun from his behind, resting his chin on Baekhyun’s shoulder. Baekhyun freezes at the sudden intimacy, but he relaxes when he hears Chanyeol sigh, his arms tightening around him, keeping him safe. “You know I’ll always be here for you, right?”

He wants to cry. He wants to keep this all for himself. To experience this in a daily basis. Could he be selfish for once? Can he bury this in to his deepest, and darkest desires? Can he tuck this with him every night before he goes to sleep?

Was he really willing to let this all go?

 _Yes… to keep him safe._  

But Baekhyun wants to be selfish for once. To keep Chanyeol on his hold, even if it’s just one more night.  

Baekhyun turns around, letting himself break out from the tight hug Chanyeol had given him. He looks up and sees Chanyeol frowning at him, a pout forming on his lips. He wants to laugh, to kiss the frown away because it didn’t look nice on him.  

“Yeol?”

“Yeah?” Chanyeol responds, licking his chapped lips out of habit.  

Baekhyun couldn’t help staring intently at it. His soft, plump, lips inviting. Chanyeol notices his gaze, and frowns, thinking that Baekhyun had suddenly zoned out. “Baek, what is it—“

Baekhyun tiptoes and kisses him on his lips, and only a light touch had ignited something inside Chanyeol, waking up his almost sleeping heart. It makes his heart leap from his chest, screaming to let himself out. It had caught him off guard that it was Baekhyun who initiated the kiss, but he was quick enough to catch it against his. It was a soft kiss, an innocent one, like an attempt to brush it against his and leave it be, but Chanyeol didn’t let it happen, licking the seam of his lips before biting his bottom lip, requesting for access.

Baekhyun complies immediately, grabbing him by his nape, and running his fingers through his hair, tugging it, making Chanyeol groan. His hand goes through under Chanyeol’s shirt, feeling the skin touch his palm, and Chanyeol elicits a moan in the sudden contact. He breaks away from Baekhyun, panting, and looking at his eyes, filled with lust and desire that it had caught Chanyeol by surprise. “Baek, are we…?”

Baekhyun doesn’t answer and resumes kissing Chanyeol, which Chanyeol accepts wholeheartedly, kissing back. He guesses this was his answer to it. He pushes him gently onto the bed, with Chanyeol guiding his back that presses on the mattress. Chanyeol could already feel himself getting aroused at each touch that Baekhyun does to his body, and it suddenly feels hot,  _too hot_ , that he had to remove his shirt. Baekhyun looks at the act with so much desire, capturing Chanyeol’s body into his mind, keeping it for himself. Something to bring when he leaves.

“Baek, clothes,” Chanyeol says hotly on his mouth, tugging the hem of his sweatshirt upward. Baekhyun removes it and throws it to the floor. Chanyeol proceeds to unbuckle his jeans, getting read of the hindrance to their much needed friction. Baekhyun does the same and he sighs, feeling the need for Chanyeol’s touch, for Chanyeol’s kisses.

Chanyeol’s lips had travelled down to his neck, sucking at a particular spot, making Baekhyun let out a needy moan. His lips had trailed down to his chest, leaving peppered kisses onto it, tracing the marks left in his body. He traces it gently, feeling each mark on his fingers, as if he was painting it with his fingers, drawing the marks to take into his memory.

Baekhyun moans when the sudden feeling of Chanyeol’s length against his own had suddenly come. The sound of Baekhyun’s moan was enough to make his dick twitch, hardening at every moan that comes out of his mouth. “Yeol,  _please…_  do it…”

His voice was lower than usual, needy and obviously filled with lust and he almost screams when Chanyeol sucks a particular spot on his inner thigh, giving it its own mark. Baekhyun could feel his heavy breath fanning on his skin, hot against it. “Baek, t-there’s lube… in the drawer…” Chanyeol says, remembering that time he had once inspected the place and saw it in every drawer of the room.  

He wants to be in him already, but he needs to be be careful, gentle because Baekhyun wasn’t any like the ones that had wanted it all rough. He could break him, and he’d be the one to blame.

He kisses Baekhyun’s inner thigh, at the spot that he had left a mark, distracting him to the sudden intrusion of his finger in his hole. But it didn’t work, hearing Baekhyun take a sharp breath, suddenly feeling tight. Chanyeol lets him adjust before inserting another one, scissoring and Baekhyun had to clench tightly to the sheets, looking for something to grasp on.  

The pleasure was too much for him. Chanyeol’s touches were driving him  _crazy,_ that he had wanted to whine, to tell him to continue fucking him with those fingers, but he didn’t want to because  _it hurt._ Yet it feels good, unfamiliar, different from the pain he usually feels.  

The intrusion, the tight feeling that had somehow made him complete, was gone, and Baekhyun couldn’t help letting out a whimper at the loss. Chanyeol chuckles, before holding him by his hips, changing his position.  

“Babe, tell me if it hurts too much, okay?” he says, his voice low and hot. The sudden endearment catches Baekhyun off guard, his legs weakening, because it had felt  _so good_ to hear those words roll out of his tongue. Chanyeol was quick enough to hold onto his hips and prevent him from losing all of his balance. He wanted Baekhyun to feel good, to make the both of them ride until the sensation lasts.

And then suddenly, Baekhyun felt  _full_ as Chanyeol welcomes himself to Baekhyun’s warm and tight hole. Chanyeol gives the both of them to adjust. “Shit, Baek, you’re so tight!”

Baekhyun moans when Chanyeol moves slowly, pushing himself deep into Baekhyun. From there, it becomes a mess in Baekhyun’s head, not knowing where to focus. He lets Chanyeol pound himself onto him, grunting at every move, while Baekhyun could only moan loudly to the sheets, tears prickling to the side of his eyes because it had felt good,  _too good,_ that it didn’t feel real.  

Chanyeol brushes to a spot inside him, making him scream, holding onto the sheets of the mattress, almost ripping it all out. Chanyeol takes it as a sign to continue hitting the same spot, making Baekhyun lose himself, stopping his train of thoughts abruptly. He  _whines_ when Chanyeol suddenly pulls out to make him face him, so that he could see what Baekhyun looked like as he pushes himself back to Baekhyun’s warmth, immediately hitting that same spot that had Baekhyun crying in need. He pounds into him with an abusing aim, holding onto his hips tightly that he was sure it would mark. Baekhyun loses it all, when Chanyeol makes a sudden shift of movement, making him come untouched, screaming Chanyeol’s name, while Chanyeol continues to aim the same spot, wanting to reach his own climax, the name of the man under him rolls off his tongue, like a desperate call, as he continues to relish the feeling of being inside Baekhyun.  

He hopes this wasn’t the last time, he thinks as he comes inside Baekhyun, screaming his name in utter pleasure. He pulls out, standing up and reaching for the provided tissue. He sees Baekhyun panting breathing heavily, staring at the ceiling, his pupils blown wide as if he couldn’t believe what had happened. Baekhyun makes a sudden movement, wincing, and Chanyeol couldn’t help the laugh escaping from his lips. Baekhyun glares at him, but Chanyeol doesn’t let himself be threatened as he tries to clean him. “Let’s just take a shower when we wake up.”  

Baekhyun nods, knowing that he couldn’t even move even if he wanted to. Yet he can’t seem to complain, because after all, he was the one who had wanted it, and Chanyeol had complied.

Does he regret it? No, definitely not. It would be something that he would be keeping to the depths of his unending thoughts, locked into his treasures moments. Where no one else would see.

Was it wrong to be selfish just this once? To make himself happy and whole? He hopes not. But he could already feel himself longing for each of Chanyeol’s touch, for each of the kisses that he had planted to his skin, the way he traced the marks on his skin as if he was amazed by it, the way he looks at his body and holds it delicately, silently whispering to is as if he’s worshipping it.   

He just hopes it wouldn’t end up with him, choosing to stay with Chanyeol despite all the harm that it could bring.

“Sorry, Baek,” Chanyeol says, a smug look evident on his face. And for the first time since forever, Baekhyun couldn’t help rolling his eyes, making him laugh. It was nice to see Chanyeol’s laugh, so he couldn’t help his lips from tugging upward, forming a small smile. Chanyeol sees it and winks at him. “Don’t want you running away from you, do I?” he teases, but the smile on Baekhyun’s face vanishes at what he had heard.

 _I’m sorry, Chanyeol._ The only thing that he could do was  _run._ He was best at it, and he was going to do the same thing to him. He was going to run away from him, to save him from his darkness.  

Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol, his eyes were brown, warm, and different. Different in a way that it could make you feel home, and that’s what he had liked most about it. Yet what once was there was gone, mirroring the sadness that was evident in his eyes as he stares at Chanyeol, a silent statement hanging in the air.  _I’m sorry._

This was Baekhyun’s fight to conquer, and its prize would be the safety and the happiness of the man in front of him, Chanyeol.

He just hopes that luck was still on his side, because that’s the only way he would be able to defeat the monster of the Unknown.

It was the only way.

 

 

 

He couldn’t sleep.  

Baekhyun had slept after they took a shower when Baekhyun had woken up from his nap, wincing at the pain when he had moved, making Chanyeol tease him. Baekhyun glares at him and holds onto his arm weakly. Chanyeol had carried him to the bathroom, doing all the work so that Baekhyun wouldn’t have too much along the process. He had done it in a rush since Baekhyun had looked like he was about to sleep on him every second that he blinked. He didn’t want to be a hindrance from the much needed rest, so he showered him in a rush, sometimes leaving a peck to his cheek, making Baekhyun giggle.

He thought that as he watches Baekhyun slowly closing his eyes, he would find himself sleeping beside him, basking in the warmth, but he couldn’t. He was tired, but he couldn’t make himself reach the heights of his sleep.

Baekhyun was curled up beside him, a blanket draped over him despite reusing Chanyeol’s sweater, enough to keep him warm. He was mumbling something underneath his breath, and his brows were furrowed, as if what he’s dreaming about was something he couldn’t depict, a mystery he’s trying to solve.

Chanyeol wonders what Baekhyun dreams of most of them time. Did he have at least one good dream at night? The one that would make him think that he shouldn’t have waken up? Or does he always have a bad dream that drowns him into the deep night?  

Chanyeol hopes he could do something about it. To save Baekhyun from the ones that crush him every night when he falls asleep. Yet the only thing he could do was keep him warm and assure him that he will always be there, accompanying him all throughout.

Baekhyun stirs in his sleep, wincing at the small movement. He was still mumbling something incoherently. He looked disturbed, frowning, as if his dreams had gotten out of his hand, freeing it to the darkness that surrounds his mind.

“Chanyeol,” he hears him say, his eyes still closed. It seems like he was sleep talking.

“What is it?” he whispers, drawing small circles on his arm, attempting to ease out the frown growing deeper on his forehead.

But it seems like he didn’t hear him. His sleep was deep, unlike some days that he had managed to wake him up with a slight movement.  

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says again, louder than the first. “Chanyeol, Chanyeol, Chanyeol…” he utters, like a prayer, a chant that he had practiced everyday.

Baekhyun suddenly screams, thrashing onto the bed, and Chanyeol had to force him up to cage him into his chest, whispering how everything’s going to be okay, and how he’s just here and not inside his dreams.

He was sobbing and holding onto his shirt tightly, burying his face to his chest, shaking his head. It pains Chanyeol to think that he couldn’t save Baekhyun from his dreams, from the ones that were eating him alive.  

At least he was in the reality, and that’s the most important thing.  

“He’s coming, Chanyeol…”  _He’s going to_ get  _you. He knows it’s the only way to defeat me._ “And he is stronger. Light will not be enough.”

“Don’t say that. He’s one and we’re two, so there’s still a chance, right?” He says, turning optimistic because one of them has to be.  

Baekhyun doesn’t answer him, preferring to keep it all inside his head. _I don’t want to leave you… but if that’s the only way to keep you safe, then I’ll selfishly take the pain and keep you away from it._

The light in their room had suddenly gone out, and it alarms Baekhyun that he had to push Chanyeol away him, standing up, wincing from the pain. “Wait, Baek—“

“I’m okay,” he says, but Chanyeol doesn’t look convinced. “Pain is an old friend.”

“But—“

“I’m alright,” he says, mostly trying to convince himself.  

He staggers towards the window of their room, looks outside to check whether the same things were happening outside.  

He sighs when he sees nothing changed. The street lights were still there, bringing brightness to the roads of Lux. He’s just… thinking too much of things.  

When he turns around to go back to Chanyeol, he almost screams, seeing the darkness that felt so familiar to him. It had him suffocated, trapped, and caught off guard. He takes a step back, gasping at the sight he sees in front of him. Chanyeol was  _in_ it, without any clue. He was just looking at Baekhyun with a blank stare, as if he had become soulless with just one step in it.

“No!” Baekhyun exclaims, rushing towards Chanyeol, his pain be damned. “Chanyeol!”

“Baek?” he says, with the same warm voice that he had grown used to. Suddenly, he’s back to the dark room, the curtains opened to let in some light. “You alright?”

“Yeol, I—“

“Baek, the lights,” he said, his gaze on the outside of the place. It was happening again. The same thing that happened that night before Baekhyun came back.   

Baekhyun turns his head and sees the lights one by one turning off, like a dash of darkness had suddenly become too powerful for it, losing all of its energy. He pales, his eyes widening, and he couldn’t make himself breathe.

_He’s here. He did it._

“Why is it so dark in here? Baek, where are you?” Chanyeol suddenly asks, and Baekhyun holds his hand, keeping him with him.

It was happening. His dream. He’s slowly trying to evade Chanyeol’s mind, losing him with his sanity, and in his dreams, he couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t save Chanyeol from the images that had drowned him into the pits of darkness the monster had created.

“Yeol, stay with me.  _Please_.” he begs, seeing the far off look that remains painted on his face.

He hears a chuckle from behind. His head snapped back, trying to trace where it came from, but it wasn’t anywhere. It felt  _so_ familiar, like it was a call for him, a  _warning_.

Chanyeol weakly squeezes his hand, gaining his attention. Baekhyun’s eyes go wide when he sees Chanyeol’s dark shadow among the darkness of the Unknown.

_They were here. No… it can’t be. He hadn’t gone to his entrance yet. He hadn’t closed his own portal. Yet they were here. In the Unknown._

_It can’t be. How did he connect the two worlds just like this?_

There’s still a chance. Baekhyun could still close his own portal, and it would catch that monster’s attention. He would go for him, follow him, until they reach the laboratory— the start of everything else. From there, it has to be closed. And only Chanyeol would be able to do it because he’s sure that monster won’t let him go without another fight. And this time, he won’t let him escape.

“Where are we…” Chanyeol says, weak, hopeless, as if he had let the darkness overcome him.  

“Yeol,  _please._ Focus on me,” he pleads, letting out all the light he could muster, bringing warmth to his hold. Chanyeol looks at him, captivated. “We do not have much time.”

A screech catches Baekhyun’s attention and it makes him panic, because it felt  _so_ near, like that person was just within his reach. Chanyeol flinches, jolting him out of his seat. He seems aware of where he is and he was just looking at Baekhyun, waiting for an explanation as he tries to prevent the fear that's slowly crawling into his senses.

Baekhyun holds on tightly onto Chanyeol. He needs to stop this. He needs to get Chanyeol out of this place. Or else the darkness would slowly drown him alive, suffocating him, unable to talk and reach for help. He can't let that happen.  

They were the only ones in here. It’s a battle between him and that monster. And Chanyeol has to stay away— away from the darkness, away from _him._

As soon as they were out of the building, Baekhyun could already see the familiar shabby house that they had ran away from at the distance. It was the place of the Madman, the one near the station. If no one would stop them from their tracks, they'll get there without a hitch, and Baekhyun would be able to stop the connection. The darkness was slowly conquering each part of the city, and he wouldn't be surprised if the whole city would suddenly turn into pitch black.

But Baekhyun's job was to stop it from happening. To stop the place to reaching its dark cavern.

Baekhyun hears someone scream, followed by a maniac laugh echoing onto the quiet streets of Hawkins. Chanyeol looks back, attempting to walk to its direction and see what had happened, but Baekhyun was quick enough to stop him, holding him firm to his ground and to the direction of the portal.  

"Baek, there's someone—“

A laughter erupts from the distance, and it was  _so_ close, threatening him to rush towards the place where they were headed to. Chanyeol gets caught off guard with the act, and he had almost stumbled along the way, his feet caught up with a vine slowly chaining him onto the ground. Baekhyun sees what was happening and had to step on it with force despite the pain he was feeling.  

Before it could even reach them again, Baekhyun tugs Chanyeol's hand and leads the way, running towards the station, not minding the mist that were hitting his face. Chanyeol would often slow down to rub his eyes, but Baekhyun was rushing towards the place.  

All of their plans have gone into waste, all their weapons, all their preparations did not have any use for them. But there's one thing that has yet to failed, and Baekhyun was determined to not let it to and that is: To save Chanyeol from the Unknown.

To leave him to the light. Where he's safe and sound.

_I'm sorry, Chanyeol._

"Baek, wait—“  

Baekhyun presses his hand onto the tunnel, the place where he usually escapes, and it had erupted into a screech echoing in the silence. The light that had formed in his hand was too bright, and the tunnel,  _alive and screaming,_ had reacted to its brightness, and Baekhyun hopes it was enough for it to be closed, for it to not widen as it is.

Chanyeol had to let go of him, covering his ears at how much it hurts. It was deafening, and hadn't he covered his ears, he's sure the only thing he would be hearing would be a ring, a continuous ring that would only drive him insane.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Someone growls, and Baekhyun faces him, his hand pressing on the hole deepening, and it had the man screeching in pain along with it. Baekhyun screams when he feels all the energy from the hole drain him when it reaches its final peak.  

Baekhyun could feel already feel himself weaken, almost fainting along the process when he lets go of the now inactive portal that could only be closed by him. He feels a part of him ripped out, losing it all when he had closed that one connection he had to the other world. The portal had a life because of him, and when he had closed it, a part of him  _died._ He was a half a soul back in the darkness of the Unknown.

But he can't stop here. Chanyeol was still beside him. The monster was still there in front of them, smirking at him that it had Baekhyun confused.  _Shouldn't he be down?_ "Is that all that you've got?" he says, laughing mockingly at him. "I won't die because of your light now. Thanks to  _you._ You've got me used to it, and now you can't escape me. Oh, and look... it looks like you brought a friend with you."

Baekhyun’s fingers were clenched to his sides as he breathes heavily, glaring at the monster in front of them. He couldn't believe it.  _Light_  was the only thing that could protect them and it was now useless as he sees him looking directly at him, the light in his body slowly vanishing after all of his energy, his focus, his  _hopes,_ leave him.  

He was angry. At the monster. At  _himself._ Because all of this mess wouldn’t have happened if it weren't for him.  

His plans of evading him had gone down to the drain, and the only way for him to keep Chanyeol safe was to fight the monster, mind to mind, and manage to trick him into thinking that he had captured them. He isn’t too sure if it would work but it’s worth a try if it’s all for the man beside him.

Except, it seems like the  _monster_ had it all planned out, as if he was expecting his presence into his nest. Well, Baekhyun had been expecting a fight and all of which consists with his mind. He was prepared to battle him head on, with light or with not.

It scares him how the man in front of him had just remained in his place, not making an inch of movement unlike those times that he would show no mercy and make anyone his victim. It’s as if he  _knows_ he will come to them and not the other way around.

He looks at Chanyeol and he sees him staring in a distance, quiet and blank, like something was happening inside his head that he didn’t have any control of. As if he was under an unavoidable spell.

Chanyeol walks towards the monster, and Baekhyun looks at the monster in front of them, his grin wide and alarming as he stares into Chanyeol’s eyes, snatching all of its warmth and replacing it with the coldness he’s been trying to save him from.

_He knows what he’s doing._

_No._

_Not Chanyeol._

He was reaching out for something, his arms extended forward, lost and trapped into the clouds of thoughts planted in his head. He was laughing and crying at the same time, like it was a product of tears of joy. Baekhyun holds onto his hand, stopping him from his tracks, but Chanyeol breaks out from it, dropping his hand the second it touched his. “Later, Baek. My sister…”

“What?” he asks, confused. He doesn’t see Three. Not anywhere near their place.

“My sister… she’s alive,” he says, lost and dazed as he looks at the man in front of them, smirking, his eyes glinting with mischief and triumph when he sees the man cower to his powers. “Baek, let’s save her. She’s crying for help. Baek, look—“

In Chanyeol’s eyes, he could see her sister letting out a shrill of cry, desperate for help as she tries to reach him. A cloud of dust was surrounding her, suffocating her into the pitch black shadow looming over her head. She couldn’t get away. She was tied up by the vines that seem to have not lost its power despite Baekhyun deactivating it.

Yet in Baekhyun’s eyes was a man triumphantly smirking at Chanyeol, waiting for him to come to his arms like some father waiting for his child to come by.

He won’t let it happen.  _Never._ This was their battle, this is his fate, and he should be the one facing his wrath, not the man that he treasures the most.

Baekhyun, with all his might, glows into the darkness, letting out a gold speck of dust as he advances himself onto the monster’s awaiting arms, pushing Chanyeol to the side. The man, in all its darkness, struggles against his hold, and for the first time, he couldn’t escape the light burning his skin.  

He was screaming in pain, struggling out of his hold, as Baekhyun continues to radiate all the light that he could let out.

He hears Chanyeol gasp, coming back to his senses, seeing Baekhyun shine with all of his might, with all of its magnificence.  

He didn’t know what happened. One second, he was looking at Baekhyun closing the portal to Hawkins, and next he was on the ground, in pain and lost. Then it was a blur of events in Chanyeol’s head— the monster, his sister, and then  _Baekhyun._

Baekhyun was in control, and he had so much power within him, and it was all over his mind,  _everywhere,_ that he had forgotten that the man in front of him was a man who had equal power, if not more.  

That’s why when he was suddenly gone in front of him, he stumbles down, falling face first onto the burnt ground. He didn’t expect the sudden act, but at least it had somehow worked in pushing him away.  

Chanyeol holds him by his arm, embracing him, letting all the warmth given by Baekhyun engulf his system. Baekhyun pants, his chest heaving up and down, as he calms himself in Chanyeol’s hold. The light in his body was slowly vanishing, and only a fragment of it stays in his body.

He could already feel his body giving up on him. All his saved energy have been drained out of him, and they weren’t even close to their end.

“Aw,  _lovers,_ ” he hears someone say, and Baekhyun immediately breaks away from Chanyeol, holding him by his hand, hiding him from his behind.  

Baekhyun looks around, scanning the place. It was void of any shadow, of any monster ruling the place.

“Can’t find me?” it asks, his laugh echoing under the dark and rain-filled sky. “Told you to never underestimate me, right?”  

Baekhyun doesn’t answer and continues to look around the place, ready to face him until the end of his life.  

“I rule this world,” it says, a hint of cockiness visible underneath its usual growl. “And I’ll be ruling yours soon. Too bad you closed the only entrance that I can use to conquer it.”

Chanyeol could hear the voice, how confident and arrogant it was as he narrates how he owns this trash of a place.  

“What’s a  _lightman_  like you gonna do? Go back to that world? To those sick wannabe wise men? That laboratory? I’m more powerful than that thing,” he says, proud and confident. Baekhyun steps back in surprise.  _He knows._ “You seem surprised. Of course, I know.”

“Zero,” Baekhyun mutters, and he hears a chuckle directed at him, too loud for his liking. “ _Jongin_.”

Chanyeol seems alarmed, aware that the voice was close to them.  _Jongin._ The Chief’s son.  

“I don’t know such name.” he spits out. Baekhyun feels something fall on the side of his cheek.  _A maggot._ Something akin to the person he despises the most.

He looks up, and sees a glint of shadow resting on a branch of a tree. He was looking down at them, his dirty teeth showing as he grins evilly at them.  

He wasn’t a demon in disguise. He was a demon in form, the ruler of a hellhole, the master of the circle. And he comes to play.

“I’ve been alone here. I’m the only one who has power, the only one capable of being the king,” it says, his grin never leaving his lips.  

Baekhyun knows it was wrong to stay, that he should go on with his plan and save Chanyeol away from this, but something was stopping him. And it seems that Chanyeol had no plan of leaving his side, waiting for the man in the shadows to show himself.

“I wanted to be strong, to be the most powerful among all, but on top of it all, I wanted to go home.” He says, and if Baekhyun was hearing things right, he could hear sadness on the tone of his voice. “It’s a shame no one wanted me back. Oh well. Their loss, not mine. I have my own hell to rule.”

“Your father…” Chanyeol interjects upon hearing those words. “He wanted you to come back.  _Still_ wants you to come back.”

“I have no father,” he hisses, seemingly annoyed. “I am my own man, my own strength. It is only  _I_ who could rule this world and Hawkins. So, why not open another portal and connect the two worlds, then maybe I’ll consider whether I should let you rule.”

“Never.” Baekhyun answers, holding tightly at Chanyeol’s hand, protecting him from the voice and shadow getting nearer and nearer to them.

“Too bad. I was hoping you’d agree. Fair enough—“

Chanyeol doesn’t want to let the topic go, “You don’t understand… your father! He’s doing everything to get you—“

“Shut  _up,”_ he says and Chanyeol was suddenly met by a man with black eyes, staring into his soul like he owns it. “Enough with the chit chat. You have no use in here, so why not we have an early  _dinner?_ ”  

Baekhyun was quick enough to push him away, the light in him was back, but not as bright as it was before yet still enough to make the monster stumble down, screeching at the light touch of his light.

“Yeol, run!”

It feels like the first time Baekhyun had been here. He was running away again, on the same corner, on the same street, and each of its turn was familiar to him. The same man was following him from his behind, sometimes going missing, and then back again but nearer.  

The only thing different was that he was running with someone else. Running with a person that he has to save. They had to reach it or else Baekhyun doesn’t know how he’ll be able to live his life knowing he had ended all of Chanyeol’s chances of a better life?  

He was running. Running on the same street towards the laboratory. And this time, he won’t hide into a corner and let himself be caught because this time, he’s going straight towards it. Hand in hand with the one person that he knows that shouldn’t have seen this part of the world.  

He wasn’t the bait, nor was he the warrior. Chanyeol was the knight, and Baekhyun was his shield, willing to protect him from every attack he gets. He takes the first blow, the next ones, and the ones after that just as long as he could protect him from his demons.

They were so close to the laboratory, almost reaching the place where it all headed. There was a light in the end of it, and it was their destination.  _Chanyeol’s_ destination. He had to get him there before he ends this all, before he vanishes into thin air with the demon they have created.

Yet all comes into a stop when the monster had suddenly gripped onto Chanyeol’s arm, standing in front of him, staring right into his eyes, ravishing his soul, and it had been so sudden that Chanyeol couldn’t avoid it. He couldn’t save himself. Chanyeol was already loosening his hold on Baekhyun, all of his life being sucked out of him, but Baekhyun remains gripping on his hand, focusing himself.

Chanyeol had seen stars, the end of everything, but the last that he could see was his sister’s body near the monster’s nest. And he had fought with himself to stay alive, to fight for everything and at least get back to the monster that had made her see the end of her days. He needed to have his  _revenge._

Baekhyun’s light had ignited, and the monster hisses with the sudden brightness covering his vision. He successfully managed to bring back Chanyeol to him, but he had his energy drained out of him that the only thing he could do was hold onto him.  

“Yeol,  _Yeol,_ please…” they can’t give up now. They were already reaching to their end, and in a few more minutes, Chanyeol will be back to his safe zone.

“Baek…” Chanyeol says weakly. He gives him a small smile and a  _wink_. “ _Trust me._ ”

The monster was back on its feet again, circling them, trapping them into an illusion of a never-ending circle. And before Baekhyun could even act up, Chanyeol was back on his feet, catching the monster with his hand, making the both of them fall down. He was a lot bigger than him, making it hard for him to tackle him onto the ground, but he still succeeded, caging him down. Chanyeol was on top of him, getting a clearer view of what the man looks like. He was disgusting, a lot more than what those cases he had handled. His face was the true definition of a monster incarnate. And he briefly wonders how the hell they had managed to create such creature.

When he sees the monster smirk, licking his lips victoriously, his vision blackens, and all that what was in his mind was  _red._ Desire. Hatred.  _Anger._

He was angry— angry at how things turned out. Angry that this man caged under him had killed the one person that was driving him to do something,  _to live._ And now he’s taking the only reason that had given him happiness,  _light,_ and it was insane how  _mad_ he is getting at the man under him. If he could, he would’ve had him in his chokehold, suffocating him until it ceases to breathe.

He wants to seek justice for everything this monster had done. For everything he had ruined in a snap. He would do  _everything_ even if it would end up with him in a cell.  

But how would he end up in a cell if this monster was the worst prisoner of them all— self-proclaimed, guilty of his own mistakes. And he was sure that his desires of  _justice_ will be fulfilled.

Yet the overpowering thought of madness had made him forget one thing: He was a normal man, and the one he was battling was a demon, a shadow monster that had long ceased its existence to the real world.

He didn’t expect the man to suddenly vanish under him, and soon enough, he was on the ground, gasping for air. Baekhyun was screaming, attempting to fight the monster off him, but the monster was quick enough to avoid him, teleporting to a different place, his light burning his entirety.

Baekhyun was holding out his hand, forcefully dragging him up, leading him to the way of their exit. Chanyeol could already see it— the light. The familiar light he had seen that one time he was in the laboratory. “Baek, we’re close! We can put a stop to all of this!”

He sees Baekhyun smile at him, running with all of his might as he continues to light up the dark place. This was it. They could already save themselves, put an end to all of this chaos, and live a normal life.

When Chanyeol turns to the portal, his smile falters, seeing the familiar head of the laboratory smirking at them, a transceiver to his lips, commanding something. Chanyeol sees the portal slowly closing by its own, and his eyes widen, running as fast as he can.  _No._

They can’t leave them here in the dark. Not when the monster was dangerously close behind them, running towards Baekhyun’s light, unfazed and determine to catch him. They can’t turn back and look for another portal. It would be another suicide mission that they’ll never have the courage to finish.

It was either getting stuck in the dark, or running towards the slowly closing portal as fast as they can.

Chanyeol chooses the latter, but Baekhyun chooses the former.

_I’m sorry, Chanyeol._

They were already near, and Chanyeol was already holding out his arm, reaching for the end of the portal. When Baekhyun saw it, he was slowly loosening his hold onto Chanyeol, silently bidding goodbye to the warmness he had brought upon.  

“Baek, no! We’re almost there—“  

“Yeol, let me go!”  

“No! I’m not going to! We’re going to end this together!”

The portal was already closing, and only one man could go out of it. It has to be Chanyeol.

Baekhyun pushes him, but Chanyeol was quick to hold onto him, clinging until he wouldn’t let go. Baekhyun suddenly fumes, letting out all of his energy, all of his light that had turned to different waves of color illuminating the dark town. It was  _bright,_ too bright that it had looked like he was  _on fire_ to the point that it had made Chanyeol let go of him.

Baekhyun takes it as his chance to push Chanyeol out of the portal, out of the connection. It had happened so fast. One minute, Chanyeol was holding onto Baekhyun’s burning touch, then the next he was out of his grasp, away from the darkness the place had owned. It ends up with Chanyeol being lost in his mind as he crashes onto the marbled floor, the connection breaking when he had let himself out.

_No… Baekhyun…_

“Baekhyun!” he calls out, attempting to stand up, but the men behind him were quick enough to hold him by his arm, but he doesn’t stop, struggling out of their hold. “Baekhyun!”

It was no use, because the last thing Chanyeol had seen was Baekhyun glancing him with those sad eyes, a silent statement hanging in the air before he turns his back running with all his might, taking all the light with him.  

Baekhyun was running. Running until he fuses out, running until all of his light was up to its extreme, until he would be able to collide with the monster in front of him. He doesn’t want to look back, because one look from Chanyeol’s pleading eyes could make him come back and fight for the both of them. No, this was Baekhyun’s fight to finish. It was only him who could stop it, and only him that would say goodbye.  

He runs, runs just like the way he has been doing. Except this time, he’s not running away. This time he’s running towards it, facing him with all his might. He could hear Chanyeol’s voice calling for him, and it’s enough for him to gain some strength. This was it. This is the final call for him.

_I’m sorry, Chanyeol._

_Remember me._

“Baekhyun!” he calls out, even when he was thrown into a chair, receiving a blow yet he couldn’t make himself care. Not after all of this had happened.

He had failed his mission. He didn’t get to seek justice for his sister.

He reached the end of the circle. Alone.  

Baekhyun was gone.

And Chanyeol wasn’t able to save him.

He was sobbing, letting out all of his tears that have been threatening to fall after all the frustration, the  _pain_ , he’s feeling the moment Baekhyun chose to let go.  

“Look what you’ve done _,_ ” Junmyeon says, giving him another punch. “Years of research had gone into a waste because of  _you.”_

Chanyeol can’t bring himself to care. He wants to wallow, to drown in his disappointments, to be alone and to follow Baekhyun to the darkness. Then maybe,  _maybe_  he’ll be able to finish his mission, then he’d feel satisfied of being able to come back to the world he had grown to despise.

He needs to finish this. He needs to go back to the dark, and fight it all off until this chapter of his book meets its end.

Somehow, it doesn’t seem nice to have a story to tell.

“Please… open the portal… please…” Chanyeol pleads, going down on his knees. He sees Chief Kim beside Dr. Kim, and he looks at him with the same sad eyes, longing, hoping that the ones that they were trying to save would come back. “Please… Open the portal… Chief… tell them, please. Your son is in there. He was alive. And he had turned into a monster because of the people here. Chief… Baekhyun’s still there… please…He’s still alive. We could save him.”

“My son—“

“—is  _gone_.” he says, his tone hard and cold, echoing on the quiet room of the laboratory. “Thanks to your stupid officer who sticked his nose into our business, we won’t be able to find him. Maybe if he returned  _Four_ to us, and had remained the Deputy Chief that he is then maybe it had not gone into this extent!”  

Dr. Kim crouches down, faces Chanyeol with disgust. Chanyeol was feeling hurt, betrayed, and  _angered_  that he couldn’t help spitting on his face because of all that he was feeling. “Fuck you.”

“Take him. End him. I don’t care. Just get him out of my sight before I do things  _myself,”_  he orders, and his men immediately complied, dragging him out. Kyungsoo’s grip on his arm was tight just like how he did it that night at the Interwoods.

He didn’t care. He was ready to face his fate, to meet the end of this exhausting ride. Chief Kim was following them, his head hanging low as he looks at Chanyeol with eyes that show despair. And for a minute, Chanyeol thinks he had seen a broken father longing for his son, and it was sad to think that he had been caught between this mess. Manipulated, cheated, like the rest of the people who had been trapped in this laboratory.

He was ready to take the blow. He closes his eyes, waiting for the familiar sound that rings into his ear whenever he uses it.

However, someone suddenly barges into the room, holding out a gun and a paper on his hand.  _Jongdae._

“Kim Junmyeon, Do Kyungsoo, Kim Minseok, will be charged under the case of fabrication of documents, murder, using of human subjects for experiments, illegal use of drugs, and— oh  _wow_ , that’s a long list of cases. Nonetheless, we have a warrant of arrest. You have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law…” he says, completing the lines they say.  

Jongdae looks at Chief Kim with disappointment, “Chief, I know it’s your usual job to do this, but you’re in the wrong now, so I suggest you come with us calmly. I don’t think duty termination would happen.”

Chief Kim only nods, and accepts his fate. Junmyeon was struggling against their hold, so a lot of people had to hold him and drag them out of the room. Chief Kim silently follows them, but before he leaves, he faces Chanyeol and gives him a small smile, “Did you see my son?”

“Yes.”

“Did he grow well?”

Chanyeol wants to laugh at that question. He was  _too_ well that he had turned into a monster he will forever despise. “Too well, too strong.”  _He couldn’t even defeat him._

“He always wanted to be strong. It’s too bad I never got to see it,” Chief Kim says, his eyes filled with despair and longing, mirrored with the one Chanyeol has. “You’re a good officer, Park. You deserve to be called a cop.”

Chanyeol doesn’t answer and Chief Kim takes it as his cue to go.  

It was beginning to get hard for him to function, and he could already feel his body giving up from all the exhaustion, from all the pain that had been swallowing him to the ground the moment he had stepped foot in this  _hellhole._  

Jongdae enters the room again, followed by a familiar looking doctor. Chanyeol stands up, wiping a tear that had fallen to his cheek. “Dr. Oh?”

“Chanyeol, he was the one who filed everything in advance. He knew what they were all planning about. And I guess because of you, we had an easier job.” Jongdae explains calmly.

“I didn’t do anything…” he says. It was true. He was a failure that wasn’t able to seek the only justice he’s been trying to look for.

“You did. You were the one who made them stay in one place and prevent them from escaping. In fact, if it weren’t for you, Dr. Oh wouldn’t have known something fishy was happening here. He was fast enough to get all the evidences, cameras, files, and all the like.”

Chanyeol finds himself chuckling despite the heavy heart. “Can’t believe you took initiative.”  _Even if it was too late._

_Because Baekhyun is gone. Away from him and trapped in the dark._

“Aren’t we all for the betterment of the town?” he says teasingly, remembering the words Chanyeol said to him that time he was in the laboratory. Chanyeol just smiles and thanks him silently. Sehun nods and excuses himself. “I’ll have to attend to everything in here.”

Jongdae nods, and a second after that, the both of them were alone in the white room. It was quiet, calm,  _lonely,_ different from the ones that surround them normally before Baekhyun came around.

“Your mother was worried,” Jongdae says, breaking the suffocating silence surrounding them. “She said she saw you. In the dark. With your sister. She wanted to come to you as soon as possible to warn you but you were already gone. She said you should contact her as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, I will,” he replies lifelessly, running his hand through his hair as his mind reels back to Baekhyun, to the Upside Down, to his sister, to all of his disappointments.

They go out of the room, and the first thing they see were people running around the room, attending to every press and media trying to get coverage of what had happened. Chanyeol chooses to stay behind just to avoid any of them, not wanting to have to deal with it just yet.

God, no one knows how broken he is already inside.

Chanyeol thinks he won’t get any broken after this.

“He said he’s sorry,” Jongdae says to him amidst the chaos and the rushing officers running past them.

“What?” Chanyeol asks, his voice strained and tired.  

“Baekhyun,” he says, and Chanyeol’s heart cracks upon the mention of the name. He could feel the tears starting to well up to his eyes. “That afternoon. Before you guys left. He said he’ll always be there for you. that he’ll always be your guiding light.”

Chanyeol didn’t know his heart could break more than it could ever break. He could already feel it shatter to his chest, with no way of amending it, and it was suffocating, heavy, torturing to the point that it was too hard for him to handle it to the point that all the things he was clinging onto had suddenly got out of his grasp, dropping him down to the lowest of his pit of sadness.

“I’ll go, Chanyeol. You should, too. It’s been a long day,” Jongdae says, smiling sadly at him. “Up to you if you’re still going back to the station or not.”

When Jongdae excuses himself out, that’s when all the tears that he’s been trying to keep rushes down to his cheeks, continuously flowing and he couldn’t make himself stop it.

Baekhyun had planned this all along. That he’ll let Chanyeol go once they see their exit, and he won’t be coming with them. That sly, wise man. He got him tricked. He got him captivated with his smile and his kisses that he didn’t see what he was planning underneath.

Betrayed and hurt he was, he couldn’t make himself  _hate_ the man. Because maybe, deep down, he had expected Baekhyun to let go. To make himself as a sacrifice to all of this, and Chanyeol didn’t see how else he could stop it. He was stubborn, yet wise to deceive Chanyeol just like that.

It hurts. So much. He had lost his sister, lost all of his will, and he was  _so close_ to giving it all up, but Baekhyun came back and given him his light, giving him more reasons to stand up back again on his own feet. He felt like he was on top of the world, like he could achieve everything— defeating the laboratory, the monster, and seeking justice for his now gone sister. Yet it ended up with him, falling back to the ground, shattered and lost, because the one that was urging him had suddenly let go and turned his life dull,  _dark_  with no hopes of making it spark with life.  

Baekhyun had brought with him all of his light, leaving Chanyeol longing for all of his warmth, for all of its magnificence and beauty that he forgot how life was like without them.

 

 

**_Ignis, 1992_ **

 

He feels nauseous, lightheaded, by the time he wakes up.  

Other people were rushing out of their seats as the train arrives at Ignis. He looks around, wondering how he got here. A familiar pang of déjà vu enters his mind as he sees the busy people not minding their way just as long as they get to their destination.  

He sighs, not knowing where else to go. The only place he knows was Hawkins yet he didn't have any money for a train fare. The only way he would be able to get money was to ask for someone to lend him some, but something in his gut tells him that the people here would only scoff at him, curse under his breath upon having the guts to ask them something he has to earn.

Still, it was the only way for him to get back. To go  _home._  

He looks around, glancing at other people's faces, trying to find someone who looks nice enough to approach. The people here were walking past him, their noses sticking on a paper, too focused with their own work that he finds it hard to look for someone decent enough,  _normal_ enough that would gladly assist his lost self.

It feels weird how calm he's feeling. How the usual fear and worry that builds inside his chest was replaced by the steady beating of his heart, heavy and longing for something he can't quite decipher.

He sees a woman gracefully walking onto the sides of the station, stopping to ask a passenger, showing a paper on her hand. The man shook his head, rolls his eyes and proceeds his way. The woman doesn't look offended by it though, opting to bow and smile at him as he turns his back on her. He doesn't know why but he couldn't keep his eyes off her, somehow intrigued at how composed she is as she continuously asks people that walks past her. But something akin to a déjà vu reels on his mind. It's as if this had happened, but he's not sure if it's only a part of his imagination or something he had dreamt of.  

The woman seems to have felt his heavy gaze on her, because by the time she looks his way, he didn't have the time to look away and pretend he had other business. The woman smiles his way and walks towards him, calmly and with manners, unlike the ones that he had encountered in here.  

"Hi there," the woman says, smiling at him. He bows, mostly out of embarrassment of being caught staring. The woman seems to not mind and shows him a photograph of a teenager dressed in an overall, smiling brightly in front of the camera. "Have you seen my boy?"

He stares at the picture, frowning. It looked familiar to him, something he had seen from before, yet he wasn't sure where he saw it. The woman takes it as her chance to explain who it was. "It's my son. He's been lost for years now, and we honestly gave up. But someone informed us that he was still alive, but he wasn't allowed to say where he was, so I tried looking for him on my own in places he was last seen," she explains, chuckling lightly while he stares intently at the photograph. "It's an only photograph. I don't know if you recognize him, but if you do, please tell me. Or you can tell it to my husband. He's around here somewhere. We just... want to see our child."

"What is his name?"

"Baekhyun.  _Byun Baekhyun._ "

He looks at her, his tears suddenly welling up, forming beads of it on the corner of his eyes. For all of his years, he had been insane, caged up in one place, thinking that he doesn't have anything to cling onto. No hope that would suddenly appear in front of him, but suddenly, when all was well, and he was sane, a woman appears in front of him saying that this was Byun Baekhyun. His lost son.  

The woman sees his tears falling to his cheeks, and she suddenly bows profusely. "I'm sorry. Did it remind you of someone special? I'm really sorry!"

He cries, holding onto the woman in front of him, leaving her no choice but to pat his back, calming him down. The people were already looking at their way, some were purposely pushing them aside, some were looking at them with disgust, annoyed at having to adjust for the sake of not intruding at their moment.

She was humming a melody to him, something familiar to him, like a favorite song he had tuned in. It was  _Endless Love,_ a song that had been familiar to him the moment he heard it that time at Hawkins, and it calms him down, lifting the heavy feeling out of his chest, easing the burden he had always felt inside him.

When he calms down, the woman looks at him worriedly. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head, points at the photograph and then to himself. "That is me. I am Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun."

 

—

 


	8. Lux in Tenebris

**EPILOGUE: Lux in Tenebris**

 

**_Hawkins, 1992_ **

 

He had nursed someone to his sanity, but he in return had gone insane.

That's what he thinks as he swivels his chair around, his thoughts accompanying him again as he stays alone in the station, feeling the hotness of the weather lazing him.

It had been nearly a month since the downfall of the laboratory. Almost a month since he had last saw Baekhyun. It had been that long yet the pain was still fresh, as if all of those had happened yesterday.  

Perhaps, the only good thing that had happened that week was how his mother had come into his house, comforting him, telling him that he had nothing to worry about, that his sister was thankful that he had tried to come to give justice to her. Yet it wasn't enough to lift the heavy feeling sinking on his chest. Yes, she had managed to lift off a burden, but the biggest part of it all will never be removed and will never get out of his chest. He still thinks of how he didn’t manage to save his sister from the darkness, how each of his actions were too late, and his mother was there just listening to each of his worries and mistakes. She only nods understandingly, comforting him and telling him that all of it had happened for a reason. That they both have to move on to let the pain go.

His heart would always make a silent prayer, a desperate call— anything that would somehow bring Baekhyun back to him.

Often, he would find himself listlessly walking in his own cabin, trying to look for something that was once there. He would sometimes stare at the corner of his living room, imagining that time he watched Baekhyun staring outside. Most of his nights consist of him, not turning off the lights because he had grown used to the feeling of being obliged to turn it on. He would feel void, incomplete, that Baekhyun had left his household, turned it dull, as if it wasn't enough that he had run away from him, leaving him with a gaping hole in his heart that he couldn't cover up.

He would dream of him by his side, laughing, and having the best time of his life. Sometimes, in his dark nights, Baekhyun would be the one to hold his hand all throughout, laying his head on his shoulder as he calmly hums to a song that had turned into his lullaby, singing him to sleep. There were days that it was only pure white that he would see, and sometimes Baekhyun would appear out of the blue, smiling at him and encouraging him to be better. Yet in nights where he's desperate, where he's the most miserable, he could see all the what ifs in his dreams. All his deepest desire, all of his wishes.

Spending time with his sister, having a normal and peaceful life, being able to achieve all of his dreams, and it would end up with him saying  _Good night, Baek_ and he gets a reply of a  _Good night, Yeol_ before everything turns into pitch black.

Each day that he wakes up, when he sees the other side of the bed empty, his heart splinters into more pieces, and it gets harder for him to mend it all back. It was no use.  

Day by day, it gets harder to fulfill all of his duties. It's a good thing that the town was back to a place where not much happens. He had missed it. The tranquility it brings to anyone who visits the place, the safety it brings, and he was glad that it was all the way that it is. As if nothing had happened.

Even though  _everything_ happened.

It could've been the end of Hawkins. It could've been that they were already living in the darkness, hiding from the monster that the people had created, yet their savior, the fearless one, had reached his end, leaving Hawkins a mark that would never be forgotten. A legend to be told for the next generations.

A story for him to tell.

That's what he had wanted before. A story that would leave an experience to others, something that would name him as a remarkable part of Hawkins, yet he wasn't proud of it. If he had the chance, he would've chosen to forget the ones that had broken him and remember the ones that had made him happy. However, there's a contradiction with those two, because Baekhyun was the one who broke him, but he was also the one who had made him happy despite the insanity and strangeness of all that had happened between them.  

He would never forget about Baekhyun. Not even if he tried.

He had left a big part of him that had sadly take its toll on him.

He played with the  _Fearless_ on his wrist, tracing the letters slowly, trying to find any reason for him to hold on. The silver on his wrist was the only thing keeping him sane. It was the only thing that could make him feel connected with the man that he had been missing these past few weeks.  

" _Chief,_ " Jongdae says, entering his office, smirking.

"What do you want, Jongdae?" he asks nonchalantly. "And what did I tell you? Don't call me that."  _He feels unworthy of it._

"Just teasing," Jongdae says, and sticks his tongue out.  

"What is it? Pretty sure we aren't doing anything."

"Yes, that's why I have come forth into existence," Jongdae says, smirking, "I have this new neighbor that I want you to meet—“

"Not interested."  

"But—“

Chanyeol groans, turning around to reach for his coat, standing up. "I told you, I'm not interested to any more hookups."

"Being loyal as a dog to Baekhyunee?" Jongdae teases, and Chanyeol only rolls his eyes, walking past Jongdae. "Really, Chanyeol, I think you should check him out—“

"I'm going. Stay here and don't slack off."

"Not fair! You're the Chief here."

"That is the point," he says, clicking his tongue before waving goodbye to Jongdae. He hears Jongdae whisper  _fucking corrupt,_ and he only laughs at him, walking away from the station.

He honestly doesn't know where he's headed to, but at least he was out in the fresh air, and it somehow calms him down, taking him away from the thoughts that keeps on running in his head.  

He hops on his seat, turns on his radio as he drives around Hawkins. He'll just go wherever it takes him. It's not like he's forgetting his duties once he's out the station. He's still a cop in the station or not, in a uniform or not.  

It was as if the world was playing with him, because the first song that Chanyeol hears was ( _Everything I Do) I Do It For You._ It hurts so much listening to it because it was the last song that he could remember that he associates with Baekhyun. It's where everything had started to go downhill, and it's where he had first felt the longing in his heart.

 _You can't tell me it ain't worth dying for,_ the song says and it breaks Chanyeol's heart because Baekhyun may have felt like it was the best to do, that there was no other way. It was obvious that what he wanted to do was let Chanyeol out, trick him to believe that he would let him accompany him and finish it all with him.

It just hurts that Baekhyun didn't have enough faith in him that he wasn't able to be with him and save him from the darkness.

When the song had reached to its end, Chanyeol turns off the radio, opting to have a quiet ride, except happiness was not on his side, because suddenly, a car moves past his, blasting off the song  _Endless Love_ as it drives around Hawkins.

Chanyeol groans because why the  _heck_ a lot of things related to Baekhyun are coming in one go? Every day it was always him. He somehow finds a way to enter his mind unwillingly, and sometimes it frustrates Chanyeol, distracting him from his job, but sometimes it calms Chanyeol, knowing that Baekhyun would still enter his mind, giving him a reminder of his presence.

 _Goddamnit._ He needs to take Baekhyun off his head for a minute because he’s sure he’s  _so close_ to getting insane, and no one would be willing to lend him a hand for escape.

He  _really_ needs to try and have a break before all the Baekhyun-related thoughts eat him alive.

There were days that he would sit on a bench near the Hawkins Train Station, glacing at the end of it, hoping that it would somehow open and lead him inside. Chanyeol knows it was wrong, that it wasn’t normal for him to think that Baekhyun would suddenly come out and tell him that he had defeated the monster.

Yet all of it ends up with him being disappointed, dropping himself back to the dumps, sighing as another day turns dull.

It was unhealthy for him to keep on thinking about Baekhyun, to think of everything that would’ve somehow kept him sane. So he tries to take him off his mind for a while. An hour or so wouldn’t hurt, right?

However, Chanyeol finds himself parking near the public market he had once visited with Baekhyun. Chanyeol groans, hitting his head on his wheel repeatedly.  _What a fucking joke._ So much for trying to take him off his mind by going somewhere that makes him reminisce one particular moment that he had cherished in his heart.

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why can’t he just forget and start a new life?_  

He doesn’t even know what he’ll do here, or what he’ll buy. He just knows that it’s where his feet were taking him, walking along the places that they have passed onto before, memorized and etched into his mind.

He thinks he sees a familiar silver hair in the crowd, standing out, emitting all its beauty, but when Chanyeol blinks repeatedly, adjusting his eyes to see what he was seeing was right, the familiar silver hair was gone from his sight.  

Chanyeol groans. He  _really_ needs to stop thinking of Baekhyun or else he doesn’t know what will happen to him.

 

 

When Chanyeol arrives in his cabin, he sees someone waiting by his front door, tapping his foot lightly against his wooden stair. He didn’t look like he was someone from Hawkins. He looked  _new._ Like he had just arrived, and he was introducing himself to his neighbors.

Chanyeol need not to rush, taking his bag of unnecessary Baekhyun-related things out of his car. Including a peanut butter jar that was on sale in the public market. He plays with his keys, circling it to his fingers, as he looks at the man fidgeting in front of his door, patiently waiting for someone to open it for him.

 _It was cute,_ Chanyeol thinks, noting the way the mad was slightly jumping, probably easing his nerves. His fluff of brown hair bouncing as he does so, and Chanyeol finds himself preventing a laugh to slip out of his mouth.

Chanyeol taps the man’s shoulder lightly, “Hi, how may I—“

He drops his bag of items, surprised. All of his voice gets caught up in his throat when the man turns around, looking at him with those eyes that had him lose his mind.  _This can’t be real, can it?_

Maybe he had hit his head too much that he’s beginning to hallucinate it was impossible for  _Baekhyun_ to stand in front of him, looking all innocent with his brown hair, smiling at him like he had fired the sun from its job to be replaced by him.

Yep, maybe he was hallucinating. Baekhyun was only in his head, not in flesh. He had a silver hair that adorns his skin, not the brown hair that makes him look a lot younger than he was. This wasn’t him in front of him, and it was only his imagination’s doing this to him. He knows he misses Baekhyun but this was  _insane._ He didn’t know he could make Baekhyun stand in front of him with his mind. He isn’t real, he convinces himself.

Except the guy suddenly smiles a lot more brightly at him, his eyes turning into crescents that it had Chanyeol lose all of his remaining breath. He had to hold on to something before he falls. “Hey, Yeol…”

That’s it. He’s losing it.

“Long time no see,” he says, playing with his fingers as he waits for Chanyeol to acknowledge him.

Chanyeol was only looking at him, his face unreadable as he continuously stares at him, boring holes into his face. It was uncomfortable, but Baekhyun lets it happen nonetheless.

“You can’t be real,” Chanyeol breathlessly says, his eyes scanning the ones looking at him. “Stop playing with my mind.”

“I can’t play with your mind, remember?” the man in front of him replies, chuckling.

Nope. It wasn’t Baekhyun that was in front of him alright. He rarely jokes. He doesn’t even talk to him as casual as that.  

“Excuse me,” Chanyeol says, pushing the man to his side gently. “I have no time to play with people. Have some decency and respect those who are still in grief.”

“But I—“

“—You’re  _not_ Baekhyun. Please, go away. This isn’t a good joke,” Chanyeol says frustratingly. It was unfair how Baekhyun could play with all of his feelings by trying to show up in front of him, thinking that he’d  _believe_ him. It was painful,  _so_ painful that the mere thought of Baekhyun appearing in front of his door had him hoping that everything was real.

“Look, this is painful. I haven’t… I haven’t forgotten him, and it’s not a good joke to play with someone’s mind.  _Ugh, fuck._ What if I’m just talking to myself?” Chanyeol says to himself, tugging his hair out. “This is making me insane. I should really try to forget him, or else I’ll start questioning everything until it becomes real. So,  _please,_ leave me alone. For my sanity. So that I could forget and save myself—“

The man engulfs him into an embrace, burying his face on his chest, just like how Baekhyun hugs him whenever Chanyeol initiates. It was warm, familiar, and something he had longed for, and Chanyeol wills himself to think that this was Baekhyun in front of him giving him a much needed hug. “I am sorry, Yeol…”

Baekhyun looks up, his hand still circled on his waist, and there Chanyeol sees the faint marks that he had once traced with his fingers, the same marks that had shown his bravery. Chanyeol gets lost in his eyes, the same warmth radiating from it as he gives him  _that_ look. The same look that he was always weak for that only Baekhyun could do. “Please tell me you’re real.”

“I am,” he replies, smiling brightly at Chanyeol, trying to make up the days he had lost.  

“But… how?” Chanyeol asks, and Baekhyun was just about to answer when he suddenly realizes that they were still outside. “Hold on.”

Chanyeol lets go of Baekhyun, and instead holds his hand, not wanting to let go, still trying to believe that this wasn’t a product of his wishful thinking. He opens his door in a hurry, leading Baekhyun inside as if it was his first time.

“Okay, now,” Chanyeol says, facing Baekhyun. He was licking his lips nervously, and it shines when he does so. It was somehow inviting for Chanyeol but he needed to know first.  _To understand._ Because what if everything’s just happening inside his head?

Baekhyun only shakes his head, looking just as lost as him. “I don’t know. I’m sorry…”

“How come you don’t know? You can’t just appear out of the blue, right?”

“I don’t know…” Baekhyun says, disappointed that he couldn’t make Chanyeol understand. Because not even him could find an explanation of what had happened. “I was inside. Trapped. He was winning, and I was about to give up. Everything had already been fused out of me, but I tried thinking of something I could hold on to until the last of my power runs out. And I was thinking of  _you._ If you have gotten out safe, if you have managed to get all that you want… and then everything was a blur. I passed out.”

“So, is this one of those strange things that had happened again?”

Baekhyun nods. “Then one day, I woke up. In Ignis. Lost and alone, not knowing where else to go but Hawkins. That is when I saw  _my mother._ She was looking for me, and I managed to get back at Hawkins, and I was happy. Pure bliss that I couldn’t imagine. I had a brother, and he had taught me a lot of things. My family had helped me with so much things that moment they have seen me. I was thankful,  _am_ thankful because now we live here—“

“—Where are you staying, then?”

“Jongdae did not tell you?” Baekhyun asks, confused. Chanyeol shook his head. “We are neighbors.”  

_Oh._

So that’s what he was talking about a while ago.  

Then that means he could’ve met Baekhyun earlier, but he refused. It doesn’t matter now because Baekhyun was  _here._ In front of him, just at his reach.

“I am happy with them, Chanyeol, but it somehow feels incomplete…”

“Why?” he asks, moving closer to Baekhyun, caressing his face, and Baekhyun leans into his touch, holding it close. His eyes dart to Baekhyun’s lips, missing the thin lips connected to his.

“Because you are not in it,” he whispers, and it w enough reason for Chanyeol to close the gap between them, claiming the lips that was once his. That had  _always_ been his.

He just couldn’t believe that Baekhyun was here, bringing all his beauty and all his light to him, returning all the warmth he had onced missed.  

He was here and he was just kissing back as eager as him. Missing the way their lips had locked once, how good it had felt, how  _right_ it was.  

Baekhyun puts his around his neck, holding onto him. Chanyeol lifts him up, and he immediately wraps his legs around his. They only let go to take much needed air before they return to taking each other’s lips, giving in to the sensation, the warmness of everything that comes with it. Chanyeol stumbles his way to his room, but he was careful enough not to let go of Baekhyun.

He can’t seem to anyway. Because it was Baekhyun, and he can’t let him go.

It was how they had touched here and there, leaving trails of kisses as he undresses him, admiring each other's body, and more touching,  _feeling,_ missing, that had him realizing how much he needed his touch, how much he had missed the warmth only each of them could give. Chanyeol doesn’t leave any part of him untouched, addicted to how  _good_ it feels that Baekhyun was moaning under him. He doesn’t waste any of his time before he prepares Baekhyun, holding on his waist as he feels the warmth clenching on his that he had to wait for himself to adjust,  _for Baekhyun_ to adjust.  

Chanyeol leaves small kisses on his neck, and Baekhyun finds himself arching his neck to give better access, and Chanyeol takes his chance to suck on his flesh, leaving a mark, receiving a moan from the other as he does so. He kisses the pain away, and proceeds to leave more marks on his skin, making and marking it as his own.

He doesn’t want to stop. He had missed him so much, that even without doing so, he’s sure that as long as he was with Baekhyun, it would be enough.  

“Yeol,  _please._ ”

Baekhyun was a moaning mess under him, pleading Chanyeol to do it faster,  _harder,_ and Chanyeol complies. “Whatever you want, babe.”

His pace gets faster when Baekhyun screams, his eyes rolling back to his head, feeling the way Chanyeol had hit that spot. It had made him lose his mind, and it had got him seeing stars. He was close, and Chanyeol knows it. Chanyeol’s pace goes urgent, demanding, and he was pounding onto his prostate with no mercy, trying to come and reach his own peak. He doesn’t stop until the both of them had done it until the last of it.

Chanyeol breathes heavily on the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, panting, his heart beating loudly on his chest. He could feel Baekhyun’s chest heaving up and down, his arms encircled around him, caging him into a tight hug. He lets himself catch his breath and relish the feeling of being glued to Baekhyun. Baekhyun was playing with his locks, humming to a song that wasn’t familiar to him, but nonetheless calms him down.  

Chanyeol rolls to his side of the bed, making Baekhyun groan, thinking that he could’ve stood up instead of rolling his heavy self on him. Chanyeol just laughs, looking at Baekhyun’s side profile, boring holes to it, as if he still couldn’t believe that he was with him.

Baekhyun faces him, and smiles at him, his droopy eyes slowly closing, but he tries to prevent it as he looks at Chanyeol with the most sincere eyes. “Happy. I am happy.”

“I’m glad,” Chanyeol replies, his heartbeat steadying as he watched Baekhyun fight off his sleep. He remembers something that they had talked about. That morning of their first kiss. “You said you’d date me once everything was over. Is it still on?”

Baekhyun hums, nodding. Chanyeol couldn’t help the grin that broke out of his lips. “I love you, Baek.”

Baekhyun snaps his eyes open, surprised at what Chanyeol had said. He looks at him and sees how those warm eyes stares into his, full of love and sincerity that he couldn’t even deny. He could feel his heart overflowing with all the emotions that had bottled up inside. He buries his face on Chanyeol’s (sticky) chest, letting himself be lulled by the quickening of the man’s heartbeat. “I love you too, Yeol.”

Chanyeol holds him tightly, embracing him, letting himself be calmed down with Baekhyun on his hold.

He thinks he’ll now have a good night sleep.

 

 

 

Chanyeol wakes up feeling well,  _alive._ A big contrast to what he have felt weeks—no,  _months_ ago ever since he had discovered his sister was gone.  

Baekhyun was still beside him, but they weren’t sticking close like last night, but it was okay because he was holding on Chanyeol’s hand, intertwined, as if he didn’t want him to let him go.  

His face looks peaceful, different from the disturbed one that he had once saw when he slept with Baekhyun by his side. It was now worry-free, and it was the only thing Chanyeol had wished for him.

Baekhyun suddenly flutters his eye open and faces him, letting go of his hand to engulf him with a hug. Chanyeol lets him snuggle to his chest, mumbling how good it was to wake up beside him. Chanyeol thinks he’d had to get used to a more talkative Baekhyun. After all, it was still better than trying to understand him talking in a confusing manner.

“Let’s eat. You kinda pushed my plans when you showed up in front of my house,” Chanyeol says, chuckling. “Take a shower first, will you? Just find something comfortable here. You’re all hot and sticky.” he teases and instead of the usual embarrassment that would redden his face, Baekhyun playfully hit him on his chest, making Chanyeol laugh, yet he still complies nonetheless.

Chanyeol gets up and prepares food for the both of them. It wasn’t much since Chanyeol wasn’t really expecting a guest to come today. Didn’t expect Baekhyun to show up and steal his heart all over again.

Baekhyun sits on one of his stools quietly, watching Chanyeol cook. He sees him throwing glances at him from time to time and it makes Baekhyun flustered.

The past few weeks had been calm and nice to Baekhyun. No more darkness that suddenly comes into his mind. Gone were the sudden memory lapses. He still has powers, that’s for sure, but he doesn’t see any need to use it.  

When he had first arrived at Ignis, he was lost and he didn’t know where else to go. All he had thought of was he had to get back to  _Chanyeol._ However, his plans had changed when he saw his mother. Being with his family was pure bliss. All along he had thought he didn’t have any family to go back to. He had fixed his mind that he was alone. That’s why he was thankful for Chanyeol for being a friend that had given him the courage to face his fears, for being someone he had loved and will continue loving till the rest of his days.

His days in the laboratory, in the darkness, how alot of people had got into his mess, how he wasn’t able to save them and free them out of that hell, wasn’t easy to forget. He’s traumatized by it, but he tries not to react too much when it occurs to his mind. It was easier said than done, but he thinks a few weeks isn’t enough. He takes small steps towards it. He admits that there are nights where he ends up having nightmares about it, the monster following him in his dreams, but when he wakes up, what he sees are worried glances, asking him whether he was okay and giving him a pat in his back just to calm him down. They were understanding enough and had been patient enough to help him overcome it all, and Baekhyun was thankful for that.

He chose to stay with them for a while, spend time with them. Deep down, he still wants to look for Chanyeol, hoping that the weeks that had passed by did not make him forget. He was selfish, wanting Chanyeol to make him remember. Sometimes he would come to his mind and he’d just be there, waiting for Chanyeol to acknowledge his presence. He would do the littlest things to make himself remembered, but on some days, it’s Chanyeol that comes into his mind— in his dreams, in his desires, in every leap of a heart that happens in his chest. That’s when he missed him the most.

They had abandoned their old house and went to a nearer part of Hawkins. That’s when he saw the familiar house that they had been to.  _Jongdae._  He first saw him when he welcomed his new neighbors, giving them a welcoming gift. Jongdae had almost screamed when he saw Baekhyun in front of him. He mentioned to him that he knew his family was still looking for him and how he forgot to tell it to Baekhyun. He just brushes it off and thanks Jongdae, not before asking him how Chanyeol had been.  

Jongdae told him that Chanyeol has been trying to get up in his own, yet he was finding it hard to do so. His days were lonely and full of despair, longing for something,  _someone,_ he had missed. Baekhyun feels a pang in his heart knowing it. However, he mentioned to Jongdae to not mention him to him until the time comes. When he’s ready to face him, and when he’s allowed to go.

Jongdae would sometimes pop up in his house and teach him stupid things that would make him laugh, and then sometimes he would listen to him update him about Chanyeol. And it feels like he’s just with him whenever Jongdae would vividly describe how Chanyeol was as a Chief.

Convincing his family to let him go to Chanyeol was kind of hard. He understands them. After being lost for years, it was possible to lose him again. But he assures them that it won’t happen again. Something along the lines of having a power left unsaid.

So here he was, sitting on a familiar dining table, watching the man he had missed for so long place the plates in front of him, putting food on top of his plate before doing it with his. And he can’t help thinking how much impact Chanyeol had made to him. He was near to crazy when he had met him, but Chanyeol somehow had his own powers that had made him drop all of his act and break down his walls just to let him understand it all.

Life doesn’t seem too dull when Chanyeol’s in it. Not that he lived a life of black and white. But he could imagine a life of happiness,  _of colors,_  coming after a life full of despair.

_They got through it._

“How are you?” Chanyeol suddenly asks. “I think we have a lot of catching up to do, don’t you think?”

“The one we did a while ago was not catching up?” he teases, and Chanyeol looks at him with mock betrayal.

“Did Jongdae teach you to talk like that?” he asks, betrayed. Baekhyun purses his lips, preventing a laugh to escape, but fails. Chanyeol just smirks, looking at Baekhyun fondly. “I teach way better so do it with me.”

Baekhyun laughs out loud, even clapping his hands, and Chanyeol thinks this was enough. This was something that he could get used to. Something he’ll try to hold onto desperately just not to lose it.

The Baekhyun in front of him was a lot… better. Happier.  _Free._ And it makes him happy to think that Baekhyun had finally achieved this, that Baekhyun had been able to see what could make his days better.

He wasn’t the same insane kid that he had seen inside his car, not the same person that he had thought was a lot more of a crackhead than that of Heechul. Maybe taking Baekhyun with him, spending all of his time with him, and bringing back his sanity had been a destined path for him. And he can’t make himself complain. After all, without Baekhyun barging into his life, it would’ve remained monotonous, boring, just like any other day in Hawkins.

This life had been a rollercoaster ride, a ride that had happened so fast that he didn’t even had a chance to react to it. One moment he was a cop, and the next he was in the dark, fighting with a monster that had too much power in him that no one could ever bring down. Yet here they were, alive and together,  _stronger_ , complete with a background that they would never forget. That they would bring with them and haunt them when stuck in days that would throw them back to the same feeling of coldness and hopelessness.  

It was a lesson written on the books, never forgotten by those of the historians illustrating every downfall and rise of the City of Hawkins. He’d be one of it.  _They’d_ be one of it, and no one will let them forget about their haunting past, the dark side of everything that they had overcome.

What was important is that it was all in the past now.

Sure, that chapter of his life had ended, and that was an interesting, strange and painful story to narrate, but as he remembers at their interlocked hands, and the way it fits perfectly together, as he watches Baekhyun feel at home looking all cuddly in his sweatshirt, he thinks everything would be okay. He couldn’t think of anything else but the fact that he’s happy and he doesn’t think he’d get lost in the dark anymore. No more running away, no more drowning in his sadness.

Because when their hands are intertwined, when he gets to sleep next to the man he loves, when the only thing that was important was how he looks like he’s home, when the ticking of the clock doesn’t matter anymore as long as he’s here, it was enough for him to think that this was his destiny, and that there’s more to go along the way.

Now that’s another story to tell.

 

 


End file.
